You touched upon some very good points OF. I wouldn't consider items in my past, demons. Some might, I don't know. I don't really think I'm looking for an understanding of why I do things I do either. I'm from Mars...I'm not meant to be understood. ha ha

For a brief background...In comparison to others, I haven't come from a hard upbringing. My parents were and are still married and seem to love each other. We moved around a lot, because of my father's military career, so it was difficult establishing connections, but it broadened my exposure to cultures very different to mine. I was able to travel the world, but didn't eat my first McDonalds food until I was 12. I was also part of a very domineering household. My father ruled with an iron fist while my mother was the dutiful & submissive wife. His family was but an extension of his job. There were, and still are, very painful memories. I picked up this book because I was afraid of repeating history with my children. So far, I'm still trying to figure out if my father was an asshole, or if he was a confused and inexperienced parent trying to learn as he went along. If he was an asshole...I should be ok (assuming I'm not), but if he wasn't...well, I'm learning as I go along too, and could be prone to create the same painful memories in my children.

One warning about the book...it's very spiritual. I am a Christian, and a cradle Catholic but I don't think this book holds it's value in promoting religion. This book is but a tool to make one think about themselves. And that's a good thing, right?

Making Peace With Your Past
by H. Norman Wright

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.