this is why you are doing this.

I've watched you yearn to understand the full measure of being female in this world, so much so that you had to flee the patriarchy at the core of our experience as humans in this world, so much so that you have walked through fire barefoot and crawled on your knees through your own Via Dela Rosa … I've watched with awe and grief and joy as you pushed and pulled and pounded and bent your life until it was a true partner for you on this earthly journey and when you couldn't find a yang to your yin you said (as you always did) “FINE, I'll do it myself”, even though you said for the longest time that you could be happy being the world's best aunt because your sister is almost you, heart and soul, and so her kids are almost your kids but like everything else you've done you want want want to UNDERSTAND, to KNOW, to TASTE and now, with this step, you can begin, finally, to reach the full measure of being female…the echo of NanBarbaraLoisHarrietAHarrietEHarrietElizabethElizabethAnn ringing all the way back to Mitochondrial Eve calling and calling… this is how you answer.