Thank you, LeeeLeee.

And thank you, Rose. Yes, I did break abuse cycles while raising my own kids and I am thrilled to say that both of my children (now grown) are doing very well with life.

I'm not sure I have a 'main point' so much...I am just trying to adjust to the fact that at long last, I have the opportunity to accept that my extended family (or most of it) is a highly dysfunctional mess. That my sisters are 15 and 18 years older than I am plays a real part in this, too. Unfortunately, they did not grow up in a world in which mental health was openly discussed. Family problems were to be kept secret, hidden, and not examined. I grew up in a very different world...a world in which 'you're as sick as your secrets'. A society in which getting help for one's mental health challenges is desirable.

Basically, I am just trying to adjust to all of this while remaining healthy myself, and not slip into my own terrible depression.