My auntie Rodna told me about her cousins and aunt several months ago. She said her aunt married a new man and instantly stopped talking to her children. They were very close before. Their own mohter would close the door in their faces if they came by the house. The aunt at one point told her children that she was not interested in having a relationship with them anymore. She didn't attend her grandson's graduation ceremony, and so it continued on. Eventually the aunt's new husband became very, very ill and moved back in with his children in a neighboring state. The children of the aunt had no idea that their mother was living in a state of disrepair through a Minneapolis winter until a neighbor called them. He'd scoured the white pages and declared "Do you know how your mother is living? She's all alone!" The children came over to investigate and found their mother with the onset of Alzheimer's. They took her in and gave her care and filed for a POA for the mother. I hope it doesn't end like this for us....
My friend has had a rocky relationship with her dad, but only because he was going through frontal lobe dementia at the time. She had to be so mature, to know he wasn't himself and to stop seeking fatherly advice or any type of emotional support from him. Ahh, so brave. I can be that brave.
If the estrangement can't be resolved, it is possible to accept the situation and go on and enjoy life. In the early stages of being estranged, this idea doesn't feel like an acceptable option. However, after all losses, whatever the cause, life does go on and it makes sense to go on and get back to living life with enjoyment.
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