Opening Up

I wish my mom and dad had been more open about my mother's challenges. Perhaps they or I would have recognized that what I was experiencing was depression. Because my mother lived so much of those years shut away, she may not have been around enough to even notice. I also know that because mother's pit was so dark and insidious, that she probably was unable to see my suffering. Even if they recognized what I was going through, I realize now that the secrecy and stigma of the illness might have precluded my mother even talking to me about it. If I had known earlier, I wonder if I would have made wiser choices throughout my life and been able to better manage this illness.