Just an update on a couple of fronts:

First, my mom was given a box of photos from one of my cousins. Apparently it had been found among my grandmother's personal effects, but the box contained pictures of my mom as a young woman, my mom's wedding to my dad, and some later pictures of my mother with a boyfriend. It also had some pictures of my grandfather in his Army uniform, which of course got me thinking of Steff the Cyclist's current story "The longer war" ...

Second, I went through a bit of a struggle within myself yesterday while dealing with Sharon. She asked me to help her get dog food and groceries, so I agreed to drive her around, but I decided I wasn't going to dress down for her, and wore a skirt. She didn't say anything, but in the pet store she called me by my male name loud enough for others to hear, and I actually had to walk away from her so I could cool down. Eventually, I decided that while I could make her using Dorothy a requirement of me driving her around, I don't really want to be that kind of person, or bully her into either capitulating with poor grace or having to do without my help. Sometimes, doing the right thing sucks ...

Third, and most excitingly, the "affirm" group at my church approached me about creating some kind of presentation or talk about trans issues. They were apparently impressed by my speech for the Pride service, and they wanted to encourage me to try and educate the congregation on the subject. Needless to say, I'm really excited about such an opportunity, and I'll make sure I pass along an update as soon as I get any ...

All of this, plus 11,000 words on my story and still going - a pretty productive couple of days, yes?