counterbalance

I'm a divorced father of two girls, 8 and 3, who I co-parent equally with my (soon formally) ex-wife. I'm in love with a wonderful woman who is also commited to growth and healing and has an 8 year old daughter of her own. I have a brother across the country who is 3 years my elder and my folks (adoptive father) are still married and retired in the high desert mountains. I was spanked, shamed and controlled most of my childhood and I left home at 15. Though I wandered for years and had some measure of success, I was mostly damaged goods. By some miracle of luck, I avoided irreparable catastrophes. I am now a recovered alcoholic/smoker/jerk/pot-smoking/underachiever which I played out to it's crescendo (and sudden halt) 2 months before we conceived our first child. After nearly 10 years of awakening and discovery, I have scratched and fought my way to this point. I have grown more than I could have ever hoped, and though it is much harder finding truth than I ever dreamed it would be; here we are.