It is always wonderful to hear from grandparents who have been reunited with their adult children and grandchildren, it is amazing to be able to share in that moment of joy with them.
It shows true empathy and compassion amongst grandparents when they are reticent to share the news with other members of BGSG.
You may wonder why?
Almost without exception grandparents will say that they are worried about sharing their news because they are all too aware that there are still a great number who, as yet are still in the throws of their living bereavement. It can be difficult to get that balance right,whilst you may be singing from the rooftops others are convinced that they will never be able to share such positive news.
Of course the reality might be that we will not have that reconciliation or it could be short lived, but it should not stop us in just taking that moment to share in that joy.
Grandparents will also feel that they can no longer be members of BGSG once their family is reunited, but I would encourage them all to remain, their own personal story does give hope to others, even though we may think that it doesn’t, and even if it is just for a few moments to allow ourselves to participate in others happiness should help us.
We all know how estrangement can make us feel hopeless and the impact on our daily lives can be suffocating, if we let it.
Those last three words are so important, and not only is true around this toxic world of estrangement but actually applies to everything that is going on in our lives.
Many things we experience in life we have no control over, but how we face those trumas is the key.
Yes we can huddle in a corner, let life pass us by, but it is up to us to take control over how to deal with adversity.
There isn’t a simple technique ,everyone will have their own ways of rising above our desperation.
You will all have read or heard people give you ‘advice’ on how to keep your head above water, but as unique humans we have to find what our own strategy might be.
Once we have found our ‘safe place,’ we need to understand that it won’t always work, some days will still feel hopeless but knowing we do have that safe place can strengthen us on those bad days.
I personally get so fed up with people saying, ‘you are stronger than you think,’ when you are on your knees wondering if you will ever be able to stand upright again, that phrase is so unhelpful.
The honest ruth is that we find ourselves in these horrible, difficult situations and we just have to keep going, trying hard every minute of every day to just keep going, remembering that nothing lasts forever.
So to any grandparent who is starting a brand new relationship with family members, please do share.
