*hug* Thank you for sharing, mowdan... I'm glad you're finding your way and facing this, too.
I almost made that mistake myself, and am still pushing off telling my dad's side of the family. I'll get there eventually, but at least my mother knows. That's the trick... if we treat people as if we know what they will do, we deprive them not only of the chance to hurt us, but also of the chance to surprise us.
*hug*