Ach, Lorcan:

All I can think of is the tale of another old Quaker, who went every day to the same newspaper stand for his daily pepr; every day he thanked the newsie politely, and every day the newsie gave him a discourteous, rude answer. A friend of his asked him once why he continued to treat this ruffian, who was so rude to him every day, with politeness and kindness; and his answer was, "Why should I let him define how I choose to act?"

I am sorry for your woes; I wish you courage, calm, forgiveness given and taken, and great strength to remember the best of who you really are despite temptations to forget.

Warmest regards,

A