When it Mattered the Most; My Mother Came Through

A Mother's Day tribute to my mom who made difficult decisions about love.

My mom and dad didn't have an easy marriage. And it ended. But It didn't end their relationship. This is the story of how my mom made a difficult choice. A choice that I respect.

My father has been drinking for years. He was secretive about it. He wasn’t abusive physically. But he was absent. We are all sick of it. My mom asked him to move out after 30-odd years. He moved to a tiny cabin by a lake. Alone.

This decision was a long time coming. It took place two weeks before I took my step one USMLE exam.

My father was in his 70s, and my mother was ten years younger. I had been in favor of this decision for a long time. I was proud of her for making it.

David Foster Wallace wrote a story about John McCain. In that story, he highlighted, despite all the bullshit about politicians, that at least in the case of Senator McCain, there is one moment in his life when we know he wasn't full of shit.

He had been shot down as a pilot over North Vietnam. Subsequently, he was imprisoned an…