Ugh...just because I'm not being a jerk on purpose doesn't make it okay that I'm being a jerk. What the heck is my problem the last couple days?! Ugh!
Seriously, Cris, you have got to be one of the most UN-jerkiest people here... In fact, you're one of the nicest, funniest people I've ever encountered here the entire time I've been on the forum.
We all have bad days. And personally... May I say this? I sure hope I'm not offending you. It seems to me like you've been through A LOT in your life, and one thing I really admire about you is that you don't take that out on other people. In fact, your primary interest is always in making other people feel welcome and better about themselves.
I have always thought that you are probably someone who's been held in the corner for so long and told how you "need" to be "good"... polite... respectful (but due to someone else's own rules, not particularly God's)... that WHENEVER you have any kind of emotion that feels a little stronger than normal or "leaks" out (because you're being a normal human being and have held it in for so long), you automatically cut yourself down for sharing your real feelings as committing a mortal sin.
NOTHING could be further from the truth. You're one of the most self-aware, straightforward people here, which is one of the reasons I like you so much.
P.S. I hope I haven't offended you in any way by saying this... Feel free to correct me if I'm totally off-base. This is just my way of saying, "Cristen, you're totally cool, and we understand, and we totally support you."
I mean seriously. You don't even want to know what I'm like when I'm letting MY jerky (beef, or chicken...) side out!
Then again, I did threaten to slap Shour with a piece of beef jerky in chat once. But that's another story.