Making peace with my past. To be honest, there really isn't much that I need to make peace with. In terms of the relationship with my parents, they were loving and caring, taught me how to think for myself (and how to handle the consequences), the true value of a dollar, and that honest work is the best way to do it.

In terms of things that I have done... I have no regrets. There is a virtual laundry list of things that I've done that I shouldn't have; however, I don't regret the past. It's what makes me exactly what I am today. Remove one of those things and I'm not the same me.

There is 1 thing that has always been in the back of my mind, though. As I said, my parents have been fabulous. My father, however, is not my biological father. My mom divorced from my biological father when I was 3. He left, never paid my mother any child support or alimony, and moved on with his life. I literally have 2 memories of him. My mother remarried when I was 5 and my sister and I were adopted by Dad a few years after that. My biological father signed a paper saying that he would give up his 2 kids to let someone else be their father and never try to contact us. How? Why?

I look at my 2 kids and have no idea how someone could leave their own children. I would walk through hell if I had to to keep my kids.

I don't honestly think this has effected my overall life much. I have a father that loves me unconditionally. That's what a father is. I consider myself extremely lucky.

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