We are all on our own personal journey through life.  Along the way, our experiences have helped craft us into who we are.  When we think back, there have been people we have met, things that have happened to us and places we have been, that have changed us.  Of course, genetics played an important part in our development, creating a strong foundation, doling out traits both wonderful and cursed alike, that have been handed down through generations (without our advice or consent!).  And although we do have a hand in our own development, fate itself has thrown us a few unexpected curves… some wondrous and others tragic.  These forces have combined to chisel away at our raw character and our physical being, a chip here and a hefty piece there… until some of us actually end up looking and acting like completely different people.  But for most of us, somewhere deep down inside, the essence of who we are remains firmly intact. Continue reading →