Deborah Borden

And I always talk about my first success with a young lady who was 14.

And everybody had brought me in the school, the guidance counselor, some trouble with the police, the parents.

And she so didn't want to be in her own life that she wouldn't even answer to her name.

I had to call her the name of one of the heroines in a trilogy that was popular.

And everything was fine.

She wouldn't admit to anything wrong until one day we decided to make meatballs.

And I had her shaping these balls.

And we started talking about, you know, can you shape something larger?

Should you start with something small?

And then

Her dad had left the mom and had a new wife and new baby.

And she looks up at me with her hands.

Oh, and mom was very bitter and, you know, not being like what we'd like textbook mom to be with her emotions.

And so this young lady looked up at me with her hands full of ground turkey, squeezing it and said, this is what I'd like to do to my baby sister.

Wow.

I know it was disturbing, right?

But no powerful.

I'm so glad you used the word tactile because very often I get two comments.

The first comment I get is, this would not be for me.

I don't like to cook.