Like Typo, I wouldn't change anything about my past because every ounce of it has made me who I am today (with the exception of a few parts inside, but eventually they will grow, too). Thank you, Typo, for your comments.

Chaotic, I'm glad you're learning who you are. In my original post I noted the negative things I've learned; however, patience and determination have helped me to transform my bad experiences into a platform for helping others.

Perna, your final line about learning that your abusers were human too stood out most to me. It took a very long time for me to understand how they could have done the things they did. That didn't make it right, it just explained it for me and helped to give me a calmer soul.

Sannah and NF, I hope this post didn't upset you. I've learned so much from my experience, and, many years later, the positive learnings are beginning to outnumber the negative ones.

Peace,
writing