The interview meme started with stealing it from Cake Eater because it looked like fun. Well, it's my turn to answer. Daisy Cutter has posed the questions.... hmmm. One of which was exceedingly difficult to answer!

Q. What are the three biggest influences in your life and give us a couple sentences or so on each to explain why. (OK, scroll down before you fall asleep)

A. (1)My dad, a terrific example of someone who always tried to do the right thing.
A soft spoken man, voted Republican, was inclusive of all kinds of people in his life. I only argued with him twice; both times about politics, the argument wasn't about that though, it was because I had spoken disrespectfully of his views.

(2) The rest of my family. I come from a large family, 13 cousins, etc. Sunday afternoon dinners around my grandparents' dining table were an education all of itself. "Children" ate in the kitchen. So at the age of 7 or 8 you were sitting with the adults and you were expected to know what was going on in the world, have an opinion, and express it. It was a very supportive environment, but terrifying to have adults listening to YOUR uneducated childish thoughts.

(3) Religion. I was born into an Episcopalian family. I converted to Judaism after close consideration of my beliefs. My family is involved in religion - several ministers in the family tree, several in each generation back a couple hundred years, so it colors my world view.

(are you asleep yet???)