From Riches to Rags, and the Glory I Found There

  It’s an interesting phenomenon, to have a child so deeply loved by your community and to be treated so abhorrently by that same child. My daughter was desperately prayed for. Desperately wanted. So many people in my family, and church, and community donated their time and prayers and money to make her adoption a reality.  And I am locked in a manipulative and abusive relationship with her.  Don’t get me wrong, she’s a traumatized little girl stuck in the body of an adult, with the coping skills of a toddler, and reasoning of a small child.  She’s had the whole deck stacked against her for the majority of her life. So, I don’t take it personally. And I certainly don’t think it’s the same as another adult being abusive, let alone a spouse.  She is still just a child, my child, and her abuse is seen through that lens.  But she thrives on creating abusive chaos in our home. And those wounds can cut deep even when not taken personally. She’s been in counseling...