Thank you for sharing your very tough story and your brave decisions and amazing resilience.

This line sticks so closely to home. These situations are sadly more common than people realize, I see a Google search says some surveys report 27% of people reported estrangement from a family member. Of course, each person's situation is slightly different.

I will not go into too much detail in my own story, but to be a spouse of someone who must deal with a toxic family dynamic can be a very difficult role. If you try to support your spouse and protect them from destructive cycles, you can be labeled as cruel and manipulative. But in such situations when family members must estrange due to such unimaginable factors it is a powerful form of unconditional love. Love for self as you realize you don't deserve to be subjected to such destructive behaviors as my wife did and love for those family members because you do not want to allow them to keep hurting you the same.

Thanks again for this wonderful writing!