As an adult survivor of child abuse, I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully healed of the horrific experiences I was raised in. Even as someone who lives life with a grateful heart for friends, relationships, and business-related successes, there are times I come face-to-face with circumstances that instantly put me in touch with the inner child who was neglected, beaten, and left alone at a very young age for days on end—not sure if my sister and I could endure the circumstances; at one point even calling the police for help and having them refuse to investigate. Like me, many survivors of abuse react to things differently, live a little differently, and must handle life’s watershed moments differently.

Recently, I was informed that my father had passed away. Due to dementia issues and his residing in an assisted living facility overseas (where he had been married to his third wife), he and I didn’t have much of a relationship. This wasn’t by choice. I decided long ago that I would entertain polite, if curt, exchanges with my birth........

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