Family

No doubt, family is the greatest joy and asset I have. However, contrary to what Mama Corleone told Michael in The Godfather II, you can lose your family through death, divorce and estrangement. I lost my father this year. His memory is sometimes vivid, and I find myself at times thinking about what he said or how he would react. Like many I have gone through divorce. And, I am experiencing estrangement from an important family member. Estrangment, for me, is the hardest loss to deal with. The estranged is still alive (Thank God!) and still accessable. That is what makes it tough. How do I access them? A birthday card and a Christmas gift are the only access these days. There is no reciprication. There is hope that some day this estrangement will resolve, and we can be connected again. Until that time, all I can do is wait and think and evaluate what I have done, and what I might do next. If there is more, I am not aware of it. Perhaps someone else in my family will give me an insight. Offsetting these losses is the joy of family! My grandchildren offer in their beautiful smiles and their joy of life the hope that all is truly right in the world - at least in their world. And, I can escape into that world of theirs being led by those tiny hands. There really isn't anything like that. Not for me.