I keep reminding myself that your story is Your Story and completely different to My Story — and I can see differences, can see that you write from the position of someone who feels their estrangement was sudden and unexplained ….yet, I can also *absolutely* and *rationally* imagine that this is precisely the kind of thing my mother is telling people about our estrangement.

You are not Her, I know, but she will definitely be painting herself as the victim in our story, so while I do choose to read some of your pieces about estrangement from your daughter as an exercise in ‘seeing the other side’ (I can and do empathise), it’s difficult and can be painful.

If your daughter were to read this it might well be painful for her too. Of course pain can lead to self reflection and perhaps even understanding and potentially open a channel for communicating and reconnection — or provide further evidence that she chose the right course of action when she walked away.

I wish you well though and hope that your writing brings positive outcomes in your life, in whatever way is best for all concerned.