Why I'm not honoring my mom today [View all]

[SinisterPants]

I've tried, over the years, I really have. I've tried to take into account the damage she suffered from an abusive, hateful father. I've tried to hold on to the few good moments we shared, but I just can't anymore.

The fact is my mom was racist, homophobic, and just plain mean. She was an anchor around the neck of my family for close to 50 years. It took me decades to unlearn the vile stuff she planted in my head.

After she died, I asked my dad why he never left her. His answer? He still saw the girl he married, and he didn't think she would be able to take care of herself. And that she refused every offer of help. He was probably right.

She swam in a sea of booze, pills, and hatred. If she had lived long enough, she would have been MAGA to the core.

I don't want to spend too much time capping on her.

Instead, I honor my grandma Era. First person in her family to go to college. Member of U. Tennessee's 1st female basketball team. First woman head accountant at Sears-Roebuck. She taught me how to bait a hook, clean a fish, and shoot a free-throw (granny-style ).

She also took me to my first picket-line to support grandpa, on strike from Uniroyal rubber.

Most, most, most important, she taught me to judge people by what they did, not how they looked, who they loved, or where they came from.

So Grandma Era Janice Foster (1902- 1989) This mother's day is for you.