Family boundaries and celebrations: Why exclusion from a dinner plan led to a difficult decision regarding a birthday event

ears; it had reached straight into his chest. There was a frequency in that bark that he recognized. It wasn’t just anger. It was raw, wounded, and agonizingly familiar. He swallowed hard, pushing down the sudden flash of memory—smoke, heat, and noise—that the sound invoked.

“Don’t worry,” Karen added, sensing his reluctance to move. “You won’t go anywhere continue reading …