October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this is a subject that will forever be a huge part of me. As a child, I witnessed and was the subject of the kind of violence that leaves you scarred. Even with decades of public testimony, public awareness campaigns, and counseling, we still have people so self-absorbed that they feel it's their right to abuse those they pretend to love. All of us need to be loved and respected, but nobody is owed that engagement. Every day, with those we are close to, we earn it by trying to offer those in our lives more than we receive. After a while, it becomes clear that if you truly love and respect others, nobody is keeping score.
I wrote a book about this more than a decade ago. It has been too personal to share, except with a small handful of close friends and loved ones. But I think the book might just move the needle a degree or two in the right direction, so you can look for it in the near future.