Thank you for sharing your experience, KG. I respect your sensitivity in acknowledging your pain and being cognizant of his shortcomings. It took me several decades to forgive my father. Despite our emotional conflicts and personal differences we made an effort to connect with respect and cultivate a genuine relationship. Ultimately, as our journey unfolded, he became my hero before God called him home January 17, 2009 - three days after his 80th birthday.
It's always a very hard thing to navigate, making space to acknowledge that you care whilst being honest about how much hurt you have suffered from and because of this person. That challenge is magnified when, in addition to having not had a meaningful relationship with one's own father, there were no father figures present.
It's never too late to reframe that though, if you are willing to do the work of unpacking what you feel and putting yourself out there to establish connections that help you experience a semblance of what you'd have hoped the sonship experience would be.
Thank you for sharing your experience, KG. I respect your sensitivity in acknowledging your pain and being cognizant of his shortcomings. It took me several decades to forgive my father. Despite our emotional conflicts and personal differences we made an effort to connect with respect and cultivate a genuine relationship. Ultimately, as our journey unfolded, he became my hero before God called him home January 17, 2009 - three days after his 80th birthday.
It's always a very hard thing to navigate, making space to acknowledge that you care whilst being honest about how much hurt you have suffered from and because of this person. That challenge is magnified when, in addition to having not had a meaningful relationship with one's own father, there were no father figures present.
It's never too late to reframe that though, if you are willing to do the work of unpacking what you feel and putting yourself out there to establish connections that help you experience a semblance of what you'd have hoped the sonship experience would be.