When I was six years old, I became a burden that my biological parents blamed each other for. My biological mother fought for custody only for alimony, and my father remarried and refused to take me in. I was abandoned at the door and no one cared about me. My pregnant stepmother seemed mean, but she took me home, when I was dirty, thin, and timid. She washed and cooked meals, took good care of me, and provided me with education. She was never my biological mother, but she spent half her life being gentle and raised me from the mud into the sunshine.
