Sherri, It's beyond my comprehension how ANYONE can say such things to a child, much less that child's MOTHER. What horrible things to have to hear while growing up...and those words DO change who a child becomes...whatever potential a child has at birth becomes obscured and lost in the deafening onslaught of damaging words that will forever change the path and psyche of that child.

As you know, it IS possible to heal from that and move on from wherever we are when the healing begins. And it's all moot to consider the "what if's" and "if only's". But it's hard not to wonder who we'd be if we had not been broken by such damaging words at such an early age.

But really, all we can do is keep healing as best we can, and CELEBRATE the fact that we survived, even if only barely, and are still alive to share our story as the AWESOME persons we HAVE become, despite all those odds against us.

I hope you're embracing this powerful, courageous you that you are now...you've come a very long way, up a very steep hill, and here you stand, shining the light of your experience to help guide others along their dark path...every flicker of "been-there-wisdom" that we wounded healers can ripple out there makes a good difference to all the others still struggling through their own nightmares.