How To Salvage Lost Relationships You Once Cherished
As a best-selling author and member of a family that struggled to stay connected, I understand the power of and need for reconciliation. After the publication of The Courage To Heal, I feared that my mother and I would never speak again. Today we do. Often and lovingly. The fact that our relationship went from an eight year impasse to a renewed bond inspired me to write I Thought We’d Never Speak Again.
Let me tell you our story.
Twenty-five years ago, I remembered that my grandfather had sexually abused me. At the time, I was completely devastated. When I told my family what had happened, they felt betrayed and angry. But they didn’t feel angry with my grandfather. They were furious with me for tarnishing the image of a man they had deeply loved.
Three years later, when I published The Courage to Heal, things went from bad to worse. From my point of view, my family had abandoned me when I needed them the most. From theirs, I was not only spreading lies about my grandfather, I was now doing it on national TV. There things stood, at an impasse for years. I feared we would never speak again. Then slowly, gradually, things began to change.
And they didn’t change because I forgave my grandfather, was suddenly believed by my family, or stopped telling my story. They changed because I discovered the basic principles that make reconciliation possible, even in the most damaged of relationships.
