Estrangements....

I'm still here, listening and praying for those who've sent requests. I'm just not posting much at all. 

Just now, I ran across a blog that has a LOT of helpful information–Estrangements.

Shut out from your grandchildren? (We have that in our family.) This website addresses that pain: Grandparents Denied Access 

I haven't read this book, but it looks good....

Happy birthday, B.

Happy, happy, happy, happy 18th birthday today, B. We hope you have a wonderful day! Just know we're thinking about you and wish you the very best of everything that life has to offer. We look forward so much to getting to really know you someday. 

We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

 May 27, 2018 UPDATE–Just so you know, M. and I watched your graduation live-streamed at her house. We're so proud of all your achievements so far. We're waiting for the day when you reach out to us. You're 18 now. The decision is yours.

February 7, 2019–You turn 19 next month. Still no attempt from you to contact us or M. either. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth even sending a note to you via this way. Mail I sent to you in the past was never acknowledged. At least I've tried through the years. Maybe someday, we'll hear from you. Someday...........

March 21, 2019–Happy 19th birthday today. I hope you have a great day. Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you.

March 21, 2021–Happy #21. Thinking of you on your birthday. Hope you had a memorable day. 

Getting through the holidays.....

Prayer requests from hurting hearts continue to come to this blog. Estrangement affects so many families across our nation. It's rampant! If you're here, reading these posts, then you're one of thousands who know first hand. And I'm so sorry for your pain. I truly am. After awhile, you just want to give up, right? Why try to mend the broken relationships in your life when the other side cold shoulders you? You're stuck. Helpless. Not in control. Hurting, hurting, hurting.

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I searched the Internet for helpful advice. Instead, I found this essay written by a man who shut out his family for 17 years, then came back. The lessons that Bob Brody learned could help so many others who stubbornly turn their backs on family.....

"A family estrangement is foolishly prolonged."

Happy birthday, B.!

I'm hoping and praying that someday you'll reach out to us, B. For now, at least you'll know that I was thinking of you on your special day. We love you so much!

Advice to a hurting mom

Any advice for a mom who's been divorced for three years and her 22-year-old son won't speak to her? 

–babygirl via email January 6

Dear Babygirl:

My heart goes out to you! You're in a dark, painful place. I am so very sorry that your son has chosen to shut you out of his life, the woman who has nurtured and loved him since his very first breath. I suspect he's angry because you divorced his father. As mothers, we unconditionally love our children, no matter what. It's a love from our hearts that our children won't be able to truly understand until they experience it for themselves.

 Do I have any advice? I'll try....

Let go It's hard. I know! But you must let go of your son as best you can. You can't control him. Nothing you say or do will change his mind. Only he will return to you when he's ready. And when he does re-connect, allow time for healing. It may be awkward between the two of you in the beginning until you settle into a new normal. Be patient. (Ha, easy to say, right?)

Keep praying That said, don't give up! Let go and give your son to God. Then, in Jesus' precious name, earnestly pray that God restores the relationship between you and your son (Matt. 21: 22). At the same time, also earnestly pray for God's will (Matt. 26:39). God knows our desires. But He also wants us to share them with Him.

Care for yourself Find happiness wherever you can. Have fun at doing something you enjoy! Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up over the past (I'm still working on that one). Believe that you were and still are a good mom. If you weren't, you wouldn't feel so empty without your son in your life. Right?

Be loved Surround yourself with friends and family who love you. I pray you have one close, devoted confidant (your mother or maybe new husband?) who will listen whenever you need to talk and share and unload and maybe cry. Someone who won't judge and simply just LISTEN (hugs are nice, too). We all need that.

Reach out Do send kind and loving notes, emails, and/or texts occasionally to your son. Don't pressure him in any way. Just let him know that you love him.

Be thankful Back when my son refused to speak to me, I'd nearly given up all hope. Then my pastor at the time said behind the pulpit that we as Christians should thank God for what He's already given us instead of asking for things we wanted. 

From then on, as soon as I opened my eyes each morning, I started thanking God. Thank you, Lord, for another day. Thank you for my parents. Thank you for my son. Thank you for my daughter. Thank you, Lord, for this home.... 

Not long after that, my son began to soften toward me. Babygirl, I'm not promising that your son will magically change his heart toward you if you begin each day with gratitude. But YOUR heart will begin to experience healing. 

This is rare for me, to answer an email via a blog post. But your simple question is one that I believe many hurting parents ask every day. In His name, I pray that somehow, even in a tiny way, the words within this post bless you and other readers who need encouragement. Estrangement within families hurts. I know. I understand.

May God bless and strengthen you and give you wisdom each and every day, babygirl. Keep me posted! 

With love and prayers, 

sheryl 

Stand up if you're hurting

In church yesterday, our minister made a first-time-ever request. "Stand up if you're hurting, if you're going to be alone for Thanksgiving, if there's pain in your family," he said. Behind us and around us, I could sense people getting up from their seats. 

"Now I'm going to ask those of you around them to get up and pray with them," Pastor Bill said. Two pews up, a woman stood up. Immediately, three women went to her side and placed their hands on her. I got up, too. So did my husband. We reached out and put our hands on those closest to us.

All of us in this church could stand up, I thought to myself. We're all hurting in some way.... Broken relationships, broken families, broken health, broken finances, broken pasts, broken hearts....

We are all broken, hurting people.

You're hurting. That's why you're here. That's why you searched for comfort and found this blog. And I'm so sorry. If I could, I'd wrap my arms around you and hug you tight. Let you cry if you need to. Let you know that you're loved. Tell you that God loves you and that you are not alone.  

Since this blog started in January 2011, more than 200 hurting people have contacted me and trusted me with their pain. In the beginning, I kept a prayer book, where I wrote down names and pasted stories. But I just couldn't keep up with the requests. At some point, I started the Prayer List page and then the Special Requests prayer page. When I talk to God, I ask Him to bless and guide everyone who's ever written to me, asking for prayers and even advice sometimes. You are all in my prayers and in my heart. 

As for my son, he is home now, back from his overseas mission. Through the years, he's battled his own storms, but his faith remains strong. The scars from our shared pasts will always be a part of us, mother and son. I have so many regrets–at times the guilt washes over me and I hurt–but I can't undo the past. I am human. I am broken.

So, yes, join me and stand up if you're hurting. Together, we will pray for one another. 

Another photo

I thought you might like to see my son, who turns 29 next month. He's currently deployed in Northern Africa with the 22nd U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Reserve and will return to the States in late summer.

Happy birthday, B.!

Happy birthday today, B.! I can't believe you're 16 now. I just hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day! Please know how much we all love you and wish we could be a part of your life. You're headed for great things. We're all sure of THAT!

With love and hugs,

me  

Heartaches at Christmas

Dear Sheryl: 
My dad and my sister haven't spoke to each other for seven months, and it's breaking our family bond. He says that she cannot enter his house anymore, and she is not welcome for the holidays. I pray that my sister will apologize and that my father will forgive her and let her spend the holidays with us. Every year, there's always a conflict going on in my family during the holiday season. I've lost hope for having a great end of the year due to my family's problems. Hopefully, God will bring our family back together, and we'll have a great bond with no arguing or issues. All I want is God to send a kind heart to my sister and dad so they can speak again and love each other with no issues. I hope, too, that my other sister doesn't bring another conflict in the house. I just want a great holiday. It's not to much to ask.

Dear Rebecka:
No, your heart's desire for a healed family is not too much to ask! Thank you for reaching out to me and trusting me with your heartache, Rebecka. I don't normally share letters from hurting people who find this blog. But I thought yours might help others who share similar circumstances. Christmas can be such a difficult and painful time of year, especially when families like yours (and mine, too) are fractured. Sometimes all we can do is pray for those we love and live as joyfully unto God as we can. That sounds so lame, but it's true. We are powerless to change other people. 

In answer to your letter, Rebecka, I pray in the precious name of Jesus that God touches your wounded family and that your father and sister reconcile and find peace. I also lift up all the many hurting people on this blog's Prayer List and Special Requests and ask in His Son's name that God bless and strengthen each and every one of you. My heart breaks for the multitude of broken bonds that affect so many families in our society. It seems that estrangement is becoming more and more common.

Rebecka, here's a Bible blessing that I found just for you: May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in Him, so that your hope fill continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Christmas blessings to you, dear friend. You and your family are in my prayers.

With love, sheryl

What if.........

This past week, I received a letter from a hurting mother in South Africa. Her son has turned against her, and her heart is broken. Would I pray for her? 

Thank you for reaching out to me across the miles and trusting me with your pain, I wrote back. Yes, I will pray for you, your family, and your son. It seems that Satan is breaking up so many families these days, near and far. That's part of his plan in his war against God.  

It's true, you know. Satan HATES God with a mighty vengeance, and one crafty way to battle against Him is to shake and destroy the very foundation of the people who love and worship Him–the family. I have witnessed that within my own life and in the lives of those around me. I've read about the ongoing destruction in the painful stories that come in emails from wounded people, mostly women, who find this blog. I am touched, humbled, and honored every time someone reaches out to me. Yes, I will pray for you, I tell each one.

If only we would restore to God. As a nation. As a people. 

For a moment, I'd like to play the What If game. 

What if....

Men everywhere gave their hearts and lives completely to God. What if they put Him first in every way. What if, in their marriages and every facet of their lives, they lived unto God, read His Word, and led their families as true men of God. What if they cherished their wives, treated them gently with words of love, compassion, and understanding, no matter what, and respected them as women and human beings. What if they loved their wives with an unconditional love that mirrors the kind of love that God has for each of us. What if they shunned the ways of the world, such as pornography, alcohol, drugs, affairs, and other temptations. What if they loved their children with all their hearts and raised them with firm yet gentle discipline. What if they set the example of how Godly, loving husbands, fathers, and men are to live. 

Oh, yes, they'd still make mistakes. They wouldn't be perfect by any means. Their marriages would still be rocky at times. They'd be unhappy. So would their wives. But their mutual love, respect, and commitment would ward off destruction of their bond.

If that were the case, if men gave their hearts to God and loved their wives as God intended, then wives would feel that love and respond back. Their children would see their parents' love and feel secure within their family circle. They would grow and flourish, then transition from childhood into adulthood, and begin their own lives, choose their own mates.

Sounds too naive, too pie-in-the-sky, right?

But just think about it and play What If with me.

If more marriages were rooted in God's ways, then there'd be far fewer divorces AND FEWER HURTING PEOPLE WOUNDED BY THE PAIN OF SPLIT MARRIAGES.

I speak from my own experience and from observing the pain of others I know and from those who have written to me via this blog.

God knew what He was doing when he set out His divine guidelines for marriage in Ephesians 5:21-33.

In my former life, I was often reminded that "wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands...." If I called myself a Christian, he'd ask me, then why didn't I abide by that commandment? But what he didn't get and didn't do was the huge part about "husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it."

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if he'd lived his life as a true man of God, then I believe our marriage would have remained intact. Our children wouldn't have been deeply scarred by a divorce. Nor would we have been wounded as well. 

Don't get me wrong–I definitely wasn't perfect myself. 

These are not easy words to write. 

But they are true.

My What if fantasizing doesn't include all cases of estrangement. By no means at all! There are many exceptions. Like the South African woman who wrote me this week. Her son has turned against his family's traditional ways and broken her heart by refusing to speak to her. I understand there are very different circumstances everywhere. But still, fundamentally, I stand by my What if thoughts. 

Perhaps your thoughts are different. Or perhaps they're much the same. Either way, if you are here, reading this blog, then you are hurting in some way. And my heart goes out to you, dear friend. Please give your pain to God and ask Him for strength, wisdom and guidance. The wounds of divorce run deep and never completely go away. They ripple out and impact the coming years, though in less painful ways.

I am very, very happy now with my new husband, who  loves and cherishes me as God does. My son and daughter are finding their own way and happiness in their lives. I hope and pray very much that you do, too.   
  

Dear B.

Happy birthday today! I'm thinking of you! Before noon, I tried calling your house to tell you that (we haven't spoken in such a long, long time),  but no one answered, and I wasn't able to leave a message.

B., I wish so much that things were different. That we could have a relationship and build memories. Please know that there's nothing I can do to change that. I tried, and it's out of my control.

In the meantime, you're growing up! You've got such a bright future ahead, B. I hear about your accomplishments now and then. Good for you! I'm so proud of you!

This is short. Maybe you'll read this. Maybe you won't. But I had to try in some kind of way to reach out. To tell you that I love you, that I think of you so often, and that I wish you a very happy, happy birthday.

With love, me 

A Glowing Reunion

Christmas blessings to you all. If you're here, then you're hurting, and I'm truly, truly sorry for your pain and suffering. I know. I understand. Please just know that you are not alone. God loves you, and He knows everything and more about what you're going through. Still, I know firsthand that even that divine truth cannot dull a heartache. Even when we try to let go and give our hurts completely to Him. We are human, and we hurt when those we love so deeply cut us out of their lives and toss us away like rags. Why can't they forgive and let go of their own anger long enough to allow healing? Why can't they see how precious and fragile life is and that someone we cherish can be gone in a fleeting moment? 

Here is a Christmas story that I helped write for Guideposts The Joys of Christmas 2014. God bless you, friends, and keep you tight within His arms, today and always.

Estrangement hurts, no matter the time of year

Here comes Thanksgiving. Next comes Christmas. I've already heard some people say how much they dread the holidays. For them, what used to be a wonderful time of the year has turned into painful remembrances of family times before. I feel some of that, too. Once upon a time, my former husband, our two children, and I hosted Christmas in our home. My parents came. So did my bachelor uncle. Another uncle, his wife and their sons did, too. We shared Christmas Day dinner and presents by the tree. One year, the guys "smoked" grapevines. My son will never forget that.

But those days are gone. Our divorce put a knife in future shared holidays. The knife went into our kids, too. Even though they're both grown, now they don't have their childhood "home" any more with both their parents there. It's Mom's house. Or Dad's house. 

Add estrangement to the holidays, and it REALLY....what's a nice word?.....STINKS. Last week, I received this heart-breaking letter from a woman who found this blog. With her permission, I'm sharing it with you so you, too, can pray for her and all the hurting people who are separated for whatever reason from the ones they love.

Dear Sheryl;

I need prayer help for my entire family. My family consists of my mother, my daughter and son-in-law, six brothers, and two half-sisters.  My siblings and I experienced much abuse and sadness for most of our childhood. My father passed away five years ago. My mother abandoned all of her children in the early 1980s and doesn't acknowledge any of us in any way, like we don't exist. 

 

I have been praying for my mother for years. I want her to find peace and love. She is 74 and does not believe in God. I truly want my mother to feel love, blessings, healing, joy, and good will. I know I need much help with my prayer requests, as I cannot do this alone any more. 

 

My entire family needs prayer, healing, forgiveness, and love. I hope you will join me in prayer to save my family members from over 30 years of hurt and pain. It's time for forgiveness and healing.

 

Bless you all for helping my family. Tammie

My brother and me with our little cousins, Christmas 1967.

With time healing can come

Now and then, we receive prayer requests from hurting parents, mostly mothers, via this blog. Recently, Cindy, a mom who's contacted me numerous times about her estranged teen son, wrote me a positive update. 

With her permission, I'm sharing here to give you hope:

"Sheryl, I just got back from Reno, Nevada, where my son goes to school. I must say, everything you told me is true! It does change. And I am thanking the Lord everyday that my son and I have a relationship once again. I want you to know that a MOM should never give up and always have faith in the ones they love! It's hard being so far away from him, but at the same time, I am so very proud of him."

Praise God! Thank you so much for sharing, Cindy!

Writing an "I'm sorry" letter

Dr. Joshua Coleman in San Francisco specializes in family estrangement issues. I get updates and info by email regularly. Now and then, I like to share what he sends out, like this recent advice on writing a "letter of amends."

According to Dr. Coleman, the most important ingredients of a letter are:

• Make a fearlessly honest admission of your mistakes to your child. Leave out the reasons, justifications, or any other detail that makes it sound like he or she has no right to complain.
  
  
• Express heartfelt empathy for how your child may have felt in response to your behavior.
  
  
• Avoid responding to your child's anger or sadness by defending yourself. There are times to provide the reasons for your behavior or choices, but not in the act of making amends.

• Express gratitude to your child, both at the beginning and at the end of making amends, for taking the time to hear you out.
  
  
• Let your child know that you are open to talking about this again whenever he or she wants in the future. 
  
  
  "I understand that some of you may have already tried to make amends," he says. "But most of the time when people feel like they're written a good letter of amends, they actually haven't. Not because they didn't want to. But because it's really difficult to do!"

Annette shares

Nearly two years ago, a hurting mother wrote and shared her heartache with me. Last week, she sent me a happier update. With her permission, I'm sharing her "then" and "now" letters in hopes of encouraging other hurting parents who are separated from their children....

October 2011 
Thank you so much for posting your honest feelings about your divorce situation and your then teenage son. Reading your story gave me so much hope for the future as currently, my relationship with my 16-year-old son has deteriorated to the point of almost no contact what so ever.

He's missed my birthday two years in a row. The last time I saw him was Mother's day 2011, but only because it's in the decree that he HAS to be with me on that weekend. My heart is broken. I send texts, emails, and call his cell. I rarely get a response.
 
My new life away from his dad is complicated. Like most people, I've remarried (his father did. too). My husband now is thoughtful man who is funny and great but has never been married or had kids. It's an adjustment for all of us everyday as we all get used being “blended.”

My 16-year-old lives with his father. I have physical custody of our 11-year-old son.  My ex can be cruel and knows my weaknesses very well. He makes no effort to help my 16-year-old keep in touch with me. He doesn't remind him about my birthday and seems to make it a point to schedule big fun “new-family” events, like vacations to exotic places, right around the time of my birthday so both kids forget. Then he’ll play dumb, as if he's forgotten what day my birthday is.
 
My mom, sister and my husband all think I need to get tougher with my ex and play the same kinds of games he does. But I don't see it that way. I won't use my kids the way he does or deny them mini vacations with their dad just to get back at my ex. Even though it hurts me, I am thinking of the kids. I know at least one of us HAS to be the better person. I know it's not ever going to be him so it better be me. But, of course, being the “better person'” comes with consequences–my feelings get hurt. All the time.
 
This morning when I got up and saw that my ex had sent what seems like a million texts to my now 11-year-old son (he got him a cell phone for his birthday so my 11- year-old can call him ALL the time and knows that if I complain he can get me for blocking access to his child). I got so sad.

Here I am telling my 11-year-old that he should text or call his dad, thanking him for the birthday wishes and I know that over at the other house, NONE of that ever happens on my behalf. I don't matter and in the best case scenario, they wish I didn't even exist. I miss my son so much.  I am so sad.

My 16-year-old son is a straight A student. He has lots of friends and is now involved heavily in his step-mom’s church (who, by the way, refuses to allow my kids to call her a step mom and makes them call her mom). He has his mother figure. It makes me wonder if I even matter anymore?
 
But reading your posts on the message board gives me a little glimmer of hope. Maybe in time he will feel close to me again and want to be part of my life. I certainly hope so.
 
In the meantime, I will hope and pray for better things to come. I will try and be patient, and I will try very hard to keep hope alive in my heart. I will remember your story and hope that one day, my story with Jason will have a happy ending as well.
 
Thanks so much for posting it!
Annette

September 2013 
Just wanted to send you an update about my now 18-year-old son and I.

 
On Saturday, I sent him a text, letting him know that I was thinking of him and hoped he was doing well. Since I have sent texts like this before, I wasn't expecting a reply. But I was wrong. He called me!
 
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to answer my phone, but he left me the nicest voice mail, updating me on his life and thanking me for attending graduation. It was so lovely to hear from him. He sounded so normal ,and it just brought me to tears. I called him back on Sunday, and we had a nice long conversation. He told me about his life now and what college he would be attending. He told me he got a job at UPS and what crazy hours he'd be working. I told him how proud I was of all that he had accomplished and what a responsible young adult he'd become. Overall, the conversation was just really lovely.
 
I think he just needed space to heal after the divorce, which is what I gave him. There was no pressure from me to reconcile or reminders of what he owed me as my child. I let that all go. I just sent the occasional text here and there. But basically I asked God to please take over this situation. Then I let go completely. And when I did, good things happened.
 
It's not all rosy yet, I am sure there will be bumps along the way and trust must be rebuilt on both sides, but it's a start.

Much love, Annette

Dear B.

I haven't ever spoken about it here, but I have another broken bond in my family. I've kept it private, and I will continue to keep the details private. But this morning, I've got to get some things out.

This broken bond, like so many you all have shared with me through the years, affects a child. He's caught in the crossfire. Because the adults in his life are angry, this child is banned from communicating with family. One of them is me.

I feel so cheated.

I feel angry.

I feel hurt.

I'd always dreamed of having a special relationship with this child. He'd come spend time with me in the summer. We'd swim in the river, play some games, look for caterpillars in the yard, have a Coke float, maybe swing in the hammock and watch lightning bugs.

That never happened.

And it never will.

He's growing up fast. 

I know because I saw photographs of him this morning.

Which triggered this hurt and anger.

He and I are both being cheated from knowing one another.

If I could, I'd write him a letter. I'd have to keep all the adult junk out of it, of course. You know, like why he's not allowed to talk to me or come see us. Why the adults in his life are angry with me and are so selfish to keep him from knowing his family. But I'd like him to know at least how much I love him. How much I've missed having him in my life. How hard I've tried to reach out to him. How proud I am of the young man he's becoming and where he's headed in life.

I miss you, B. I love you so very, very, very much. And I hope someday, when it's your choice, you'll come see me and stay a night or two. Then together, we can sit beneath the stars, and you can share your dreams with me. Finally.

November 24, 2014
Dear B.
I miss knowing you so much. Please know that. We all do. We should all be a part of each other's lives, but we're not. I can't change that or fix it. All I can do is watch you grow from a far. And that's on a very limited basis. When you can, please reach out to us. We love you!!!!!   

Longing for hope in the season of hope

Longing... looking... searching... hoping... wishing.... I couldn't quite decide which word to use for titling this post. Because they all fit. That's what we do in an estranged relationship. Long for hope. Look for hope. Search for hope. Wish for hope. Especially during the holidays, one of the most difficult times of year.

Vicki wrote me last August and shared her heart-breaking story about being separated from her grown son and his anger and resentment toward her. She asked for prayers. Last week, she wrote me again, and I asked if I could share her letter. She said yes...   

"Dear Sheryl, Thank you for posting my prayer on your prayer list for August. I have received one phone call from my son, and our conversation did not go well. My son feels that I should support him financially for all the missing years, and this broke my heart even further. He is 26 years of age and living with his father and stepmother. I have no money to give to my son, and he is fully aware of my situation.

"As I mentioned in my previous email, my ex-husband has brainwashed my son for 23 years with anger and resentment toward me and my other son. I wanted with all my heart and soul for the marriage to work so my sons could have a family. I endured so much abuse in the marriage that I had no other possible option but to leave.

"The holidays are coming up, and I cannot celebrate them due to all the pain and heartache of seeing my son after all these years who has grown into a bitter, angry young man who has no respect for me in any way. Sheryl, please enclose a prayer from my behalf to all the parents facing similar circumstances as myself.

"Thank you for your understanding and, most of all, for your website in helping many parents cope with their heartbreaking stories.

"God bless you and your family! I hope maybe one day soon my son will know the truth about me and have a beautiful, loyal, relationship like you and your wonderful son. I pray one day soon my son will see the light and understand my side of the story.

"I pray for all parents going through similar circumstances, especially with the holidays approaching.  Sincerely, Vicki"

Dear Vicki and all hurting parents, may God bless you and strengthen you and surround you with ministering angels in the coming days and new year, too. You are not alone in your pain, though I know that doesn't ease your hurt. In His time, God can and will turn your heartache into something good. Please try to find something to smile about every day, if even for a few moments. You are special. You are loved. You are meant for good and wonderful works in this life. Keep walking in Him, dear friend and friends. 

With love and many prayers in this Christmas season of hope, sheryl

The very, very worst kind of separation

Earlier this week, I received an email from Arleen, a mother who's hurting deeply. I cannot even begin to imagine her heartache. I asked if I could share her letter, and said yes....

"Please pray for me, I'm deeply depressed due to death of my youngest child, Ashley," Arleen wrote. "Ashley was 21 years old and in her second year in college. A wonderful, beautiful child, inside and out. She died of a sudden heart attack on June 24, 2012. The last time saw her beautiful eyes was the evening before, June 23rd (she did not pass at home). After that, I never saw her again."

"My heart is so broken. I have two other children and a wonderful husband and an extremely smart, wonderful, delightful three-year-old grandson. I know I have a lot to be grateful for, but I miss my Ashley so very much. I know most of you are hurting because of relationship problems with your children or because they are missing. Not knowing where they are or if they're okay, I can imagine how hurtful that is, but just be thankful that they are still alive. Because once they die, it's forever. Pray that they come back to you because I know my Ashley will never come back. A mother's pain of losing one of their children has to be one of the greatest pains, a pain that I would not want to wish on anyone in the world."

Words of comfort seem so inadequate when someone's lost a loved one. If I could, I'd hug you tight and just be there, I emailed Arleen. She and I have never met in person, but that doesn't matter. Like you, she's found this blog because she's in deep pain and needs to reach out and share her hurt with others who understand in any kind of way. 

Yes, Arleen, we will hold your hand and pray for you and your family. May God bless you and strengthen you and surround you with ministering angels. You are very loved!
 

Here come the holidays. Again.

I just reread my post from last December. Sadly, nothing has changed on my own front. The family member I mentioned still shuts me out and refuses to at least try and heal our broken relationship. And I can't do a thing to change the situation (I've tried!). 

Except pray.

In the meantime, I just received an email from Dr. Joshua Coleman, an expert on estrangement. Right now, he's offering a free webinar called "Surviving the Holidays: Advice for Estranged Parents."

"Holidays can be especially difficult times for estranged parents," he wrote in his email. "So as a gift to my readers, I'm giving away my seminar HIGH RISK DAYS where I talk about how to handle the holidays."

 

Here's the link to the webinar. And if you'd like a free study guide, go here. 

Blessed holidays to you all. I feel like anything I say will so sound trite and meaningless. Because the pain can be so overwhelming. I understand. But please do try to focus on the good in your life. As much as you can, don't dwell on the pain. 

 

Instead, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

 

With love and prayers, sheryl