..............I stand here today after most of what I have been thru. The abuse and the lies. Feeling battered and bruised, a little less than worthy but still strong and sane. I have decided that these things took a part of my life. I refuse to let them take the rest. If I can learn from them then I have not failed. I will continue. And when I do share my life with someone, he will be strong and worthy of my love. The issues I have are not the definition of me but they have shaped who I am. And in all the heartache and loneliness there is the knowledge that it will not always be this way. There is more to life than heartache................