Gabriel Mizrahi

I love this app.

It's just like going to the library without having to physically go to the library.

Big fan.

We'll link to it in the show notes.

Alright, next up.

Hi Jordan and Gabe.

My parents divorced when I was six, and my dad remarried a year or two later.

I spent many childhood weekends and summers with my dad and stepmother, and I truly have a lot of warm memories of that home.

I even lived with them during my high school years.

That period was bumpy, partly because I was a pretty typical emotional teenager, and partly because my two younger half-brothers were very young at the time.

But over time, I grew into a good relationship with my brothers, even if we were never extremely close.

I always lived on the West Coast, but 12 years ago, my husband and I moved across the country to be closer to my dad's side of the family.

I wanted real, consistent connection for the first time in my adult life.

Holidays together, being part of a larger family network...

and especially being present for my nieces and nephews growing up.

Between 2014 and 2020, we had some good times together, but there were also some rough patches.

My husband and I began to notice a pattern where my brothers and their families always seemed to come first in planning visits or gatherings, and we were expected to adjust around them.

We were rarely invited to my dad and stepmother's home, which is about 20 minutes from us, unless one of my brothers was already planning to be there.

There were also occasions where plans with me were cancelled at the last minute if one of my brothers decided to visit instead.

And there were small but painful moments, for example, once we were invited over specifically for my birthday, but my stepmother happily announced that the meal and dessert were my brother's favorites.