To understand where someone is at the present, you must understand where they've come from, what brought them to this point. Obviously you already know parts of my story, but recent experiences have helped show me a new perspective on it, that I'd like to share with you.

I believe that families really are a lot like trees… the branches cannot exist without the trunk or the roots, but yet are not responsible for damages caused by them. The branches are shaped and molded by the trunk and roots at first, but as time extends they can grow and shape themselves, and can even give seed to new trees, new families. The branch would not be a part of the tree if it did not have the collective experiences of the roots and trunk, just as the roots and trunk would look much different without the branch. To understand a person, in a way, is to understand their family, and the reasoning behind the lessons that the parents teach, or the way that they show their love.

My story, like yours, dates back to the beginning, but it's the end, the trees nearest me that affect my life the most, and therefore those are the focus of this brief telling of the story. Just like