A Letter to My Mother When She Was a Girl

My mother at 14, with her first husband and firstborn

Dear Mom,

More than anything I wish you had been kept safe and protected, but I realize this was not something your parents were able to do. Poverty overwhelmed you all, and left its mark on every family member.

With that in mind, I want you to know that the things that happened to you were not your fault; it was not your fault that you were raped by this man so much…