Wonderful piece. I too grew up in a dysfunctional and often violent household. Luckily my mom was strong enough to leave. It changes you permanently. After much Work, I am able to see the gifts that all that trauma gave me — the ability to sense red flags in people a mile away, to keep calm in a crisis, to have no fear, to know truly what I am capable of. And, like your father, my experience has made me into someone who knows first-hand how our system pushes people down, then kicks them when they’re down — which is why I, too, am a progressive who always “roots for the underdog.” Thank you for sharing your story!