Hi, everyone. Welcome to Thanks for being here, a short weekly pod to remind us of the many

essential and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday, I'll read a submission from a

listener of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Could be wedding vows or a bat mitzvah toast, a eulogy, or

retirement speech. We believe this is probably the loveliest way to tap into our better

selves and remember our highest values. We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one

person you love. Maybe someone you miss and need to bring closer, someone you want to feel

your appreciation or admiration or both.

This is thanks for being here.

This week's thanks for being here is a special visit from my friend Nora McInerney who runs runs thanks for asking, which is a 10-year-old

podcast that's about as human as they get. And I wondered with Nora, who is a woman of consequence

in your life? It's almost impossible for me to answer that question because the people of most

consequence in my life are women.

I struggle to, you know, I think, I can think of, no, I can think of five to six men.

I can think to five to six men of consequence in my life. But my life is the product of women, female friendships, female relationships,

the people who have built me into the person that I am are amazing women. Can I ask, was it always

that way? Always. My entire life, I grew up in a matriarchy. You know, both of my grandmothers had, gave birth to 10 children, raised nine children apiece.

My maternal grandmother was the center of our world, even though she was a fully independent woman that we saw when it was convenient

for her. Okay? She graduated college. She was like 83, I believe. I might have to fact check that.

She went back to school in her 80s, got a degree. She lived up in the forests of northern Minnesota,

fully independently. Why did she go back to college in her 80s? Do you know? She had time. My grandpa

was dead. That man, I'm just got finally, finally got free of her lifelong, you know,

partner, supportive, gentleman. And she said, I've raised nine kids. I've got almost 30 grandchildren. She was an artist. She had dropped out of college

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