Dear Annie: I have always looked up to my older sisters. They are twins and six years older than me. We all had difficult childhoods because our father was an abuser. He isolated my sisters by calling them special and putting me and my other siblings down.
As an adult, I have gone through a long process of healing and finding love and support through a close group of friends. I feel more loved and understood than I ever have before. I always felt so isolated as a child because my father was not afraid to make it clear how much he disliked me, in addition to the other abuse my sisters and I suffered. My friendships have really allowed me to open up and find joy and trust in the world.
Rather than taking time to get to know the adult I have become, my sisters continually tell me I am a cold, closed-off person, no matter how open and vulnerable I try to be. I know I still am clearly more comfortable around my friends. One of my sisters criticizes me for putting my friendships on a pedestal.
Dear Not Feeling Seen: You are a survivor who is now thriving. Don’t let anyone take that away from you or give away your power. Feeling seen, truly seen by another human being, is one of the most joyous human experiences we can have with one another. Like seeing the other as pure love and light.
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