You're right. I know you're right. LOL. Like, LOGICALLY, I am fully aware of all these things, you know? I know what contributed to these outcomes. I know we beat the odds, too. I know that the strides we make are due to our own personal efforts -- the work we put in (mixed with the efforts of others too), and I know that a lot of people who experience long-term poverty often don't make the same choices we do. But, for some reason, the emotional scars, which is just a combination of everything that's happened over the last few years...the cuts are just very deep. And, the pain itself bothers me just as much as knowing the pain is there, because I don't want to feel it. It's rough. I hope I have the strength to continue to channel it in productive and progressive ways.