Oh, Grace ... I am so there with you. You've captured this specific loss and pain perfectly - and I know because I am living it, too. I raised five children and have a beautiful relationship with one of them.

There's a combination of their choice or mine, depending on which of the ones who are no longer in my life.

It's certainly not what I envisioned when I had the large family I'd always wanted.

I love how you've acknowledged that this grief is treated differently from an actual physical death, which I can understand, but it is still a huge loss and grief, and one that doesn't necessarily have the same finality. We can't help but keep a small spark of hope alive somewhere inside, we still wish and dream about that person turning up again, wanting to patch it up, wanting to talk - and we do our own heads in, trying to ignore that hope and accept the silence so we can move on.

It's so, so painful.

I'm so sorry you've been carrying this grief, that you've lost that relationship. Thank you so much for sharing this important story and for choosing HHH to publish it. Your story helps (me, at least, and I'm sure others) to know we're not alone, that someone understands. Sending loads of love and my best hugs 💜💜💜