Originally Posted by outonalimb

Liz....That letter was written specifically FOR YOU....not the therapist. I used to have an old shoe box full of such cards and letters. They all said the same thing. Quack Quack Quack.

Words mean nothing. What have his actions said to you Liz? Your eyes are the only things you can trust right now.

I just read this today in one of Melody Beattie's daily readers Jouney into the Heart. Seems pretty fitting to your situation...

Using love to control and manipulate is heartbreaking. It can break the heart of the person doing it; it can break the heart of the person it's being done to.

So often, controlling through love is done almost unconsciously. It's a dance people do out of habit to get their needs met. Their reasons don't matter, although it's easier to have compassion for those who control unknowingly than those who use the power of love maliciously and viciously.

What matters is how you resond if it's being done to you. What matters is that you don't do it to other people.

Open your heart and see the truth. Set yourself free. If someone is controlling you by using your love for them or your need to be loved, acknowledge it. If you are doing it to someone else, acknowledge that, too. Once you see the truth, you can set yourself free.

So much of what we need to do to free our hearts and souls is smiply to acknowledge the truth. The rest will happen naturally.

Love has no price. It's only love if it's free.