Happy #MothersDay. It's a day of celebration for some, and a day of difficult & often complicated feelings for others, so be gentle with yourselves & each other.
I wrote about my relationship with my own Mom here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/relearning-mom-32431858
It's one of the most raw, vulnerable, and honest things I've ever written. Four years later, I still think it's well worth reading - especially if you have a difficult or abusive relationship with a parent or family member.
I have a much happier story to tell now than I did when I wrote this post, but it marks an important beginning. I feel so much wonder, to reread this and note how differently I feel about my #family now. There's a lot of pain between us that's hard to heal. But what I've learned is that, at least sometimes, even the people you know well will surprise you. Somehow, even with #dementia, my relationship with my #Mom is the best it's ever been. It's a gift I'd long since given up hoping for, and yet here we are. I'm grateful for this and for her - and also deeply mindful of what it felt like before this unexpected change in our relationship. So often, in so many parental relationships, that positive change never comes - and that is hard, hard, hard. So if this is you, I'm sending you extra love today.
#MothersDay2024 #healing #ToxicFamily #trauma #abuse #CPTSD #PTSD #FamilyRelationships #AgingParents #portrait #SpeedSketching #ink
