Where did this strange idea come from?

The past year contained at least one life-changing event.  I lost my mother.  I had the privilege to live with her and take care of her up to the final days of her life.  Caring for her had become such an all-consuming effort that I had no time to think about anything, not even the significance of what was happening.  In the months since, as I have recovered through rest and reflection, I have begun to realize that I have lost an important connection with my own past.  As I considered this fact I began to realize how many strong personalities influenced my life.  These personalities were embodied by the unusual women on both sides of my family.  As the saying goes, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"  and it is now too late for me to tell them how much they have meant to me, but I can honor their memory by telling the story of how their influence has helped to create my life.  It will be a labor of love and joy and might even be worth reading.  I hope to do them justice.