huh, what are the odds, mom was a transgender caregiver....

[mykell]

felt compelled to share this, as my mom passed away last week my wife and i had the task of cleaning out her place and slowly trying to get things taken care of....not for the faint of heart.

most of her things will be donated to charity and the furnishings were posted for free on the web, as we boxed things up my wife hands me a packet, "A handbook for transsexuals" by paula grossman A.B.,M.A.,S.M.E., TRANSSEXUAL, she lived in plainfield NJ.....written in 1979

http://zagria.blogspot.com/2007/08/whatever-happened-to-paula-grossman.html

mom had taken care of her from the notes attached to the handbook, found it interesting to have that kind of connection to those past events,
to bad she didnt pass on her courage through mom to myself....

[SabrinaEmily]

From the summary of Grossman's book and life on that page, she was well ahead of her time and had a whole lot of guts.

[Jazzy Jaz]

Sorry for your loss mikell!

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o Mikell,
Sorry to hear about your mom passing, and hope you are doing OK.
On a lighter note.... It appears as if mom had some secrets too!
Pretty cool that she was a part of Paula's life, and it was nice of your
wife to bring it to your attention.
Much Love,
Kristyn

[Victoria Demeanor]

My condolences Mikell on your mothers passing.
It is funny and kind of sad the things we find after the passing of loved ones. We lived not too far from Plainfield and my father transitioned about the time Paula's book was published. I'll have to ask if she knew of her.
Take care Mikell my thoughts are with you.

[mykell]

hi kristyn,
it is telling what one finds when rooting through someones belongings, not that she was secretive about this, what i cant ask her about now is whats up with all the owls??....

the reason i felt compelled to share is that i possess the out of print handbook and i had a connection to this brave soul....
and yes my wife could have easily just filed it into one of the trash bags and i would not have been the wiser so another baby step....

victoria it would be interesting if they did cross each others paths, keep is informed, if you lived local it would be interesting if we had crossed paths with each other as well....

thanks for the supportive well wishes.....

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o Mikell,
The owl is a symbol of wisdom.
Maybe mom was trying to say something?
(Or hoping they would help????)
Much Love,
Kristyn

[pamela7]

thank you for the article link, quite a woman!

The odds on your mother being "in the field" and thus your own life experience, fairly high imho. Last night i found out that the flatmate of one of my sons is a crossdresser!

Mikell, courage is found in the most unlikely places, often in the dark night of the soul or the last resort, but deep down, everyone has a rock upon which their strength is built.

xxx Pamela

[Katey888]

Sorry for your loss Mikell... :hugs:

You're right about the process of sorting through things requiring some grit - that can often be the most upsetting part of grieving for a loss... but I also don't believe that you have failed to show courage in how you've approached your own situation. :) Clearly, not all of us are transsexuals, and having to deal with this middle-ground living is sometimes harder than aspects of full transition... It is a curious coincidence and connection however - fate has an odd way of amalgamating those connections in our lives, sometimes... :thinking:

Katey x

BTW: Great link! There's a number of articles that I haven't seen before and one in particular on typology that many of the deniers here could be educated by reading... :devil:

[mykell]

Kristyn, the owls they cant hurt right....
Pamela, i feel stronger when im here sharing with my friends....as i read the booklet i felt proud that mom had a connection to someone who was at the forefront of process for liberation of this cause, but it also reminded me of how slow the acceptance is taking....
Katey888, im glad you found interest in the blog link, you have been very cerebral in your approach dealing with this, i dont understand those that wont accept that they are part of the group and folks that desire that we not be part of it. after my two years here i have not crossed over as those that joke about were we will go in two years, im still transgender and am thankful that im comfortable in my body, i do feel that those with the debilitating dysphoria have harder decisions to bear in their life.

now i feel a little special because of my link to it....

it also re-affirms my thought of leaving a note or video for a loved one if you never discussed this with them, here is a link to an old thread
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?224212-**GREAT-ADVISE**keep-a-record-in-your-stash**&highlight=
i found other things that i did not share about while cleaning moms place, it reminded me of why i confessed my desire to my wife, why put the one you love through such confusion while they are in agony over the loss....

[Paula_56]

I remember Paula G in the news, she was a NYC teacher, I was about 10 years old at the time and read every article about her in the news. "This is me I thought"

[mykell]

so i did a search on the owls, Owls live within the darkness, which includes magic, mystery, and ancient knowledge. Related to the night is the moon, which owls are also connected to. It becomes a symbol of the feminine and fertility, with the moon's cycles of renewal. Even the mythology relates owl to this wisdom and femininity. huh again, more info https://www.google.com/search?q=owl+sybolism&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 in a quick list transition was even mentioned....still dont know what to make of it.....