Introduction
My name is Julie. I am 51 years old, a first born, and a Leo. I spent the first 7 years of my life in a northern Illinois industrial town with my mom and my dad, and the next 11 years in a rural northeast Arkansas farming community with my grandparents. My brother and I suffered through some things growing up, and then suddenly, we were adults, fumbling our way through the world. I spent a long time in a sort of shock, trying to come to terms with my suspicions that something was wrong with things that happened when I was growing up. My sense of self and my sense of worth were damaged, and I did a lot of self-medicating over the decades to shove down feelings I thought I couldn't cope with any other way. I started going to therapy when I was 25 to try to make sense of my life. In the past 26 years, I have had 5 beloved therapists who have guided me through the process of figuring it out. The most impactful thing I have ever done for myself is to dedicate myself to my spiritua...