A salutary tale of family ties (partly following on from a thread a few months back).
My sister’s partner of 20 years, let’s call him Bob, aged mid 50’s, had a very fractious relationship with his father going back into the mists of time.
He took his money but never went to see them. The parents had other children and did not bother with him much by return.
Bob resolved to go and patch up their relationship this Easter as his parents were by now in their 80’s & in poor health. His father died 3 week before the reunion.
At the funeral there was some bridge building with the rest of his family after a somewhat cold restart, yet funerals always seem to be times of regret and not simply loss if you do not keep open lines of communications.
Bob’s children (21 & 25?) live with their mother many miles from home.
He’s adopted a lassie fair attitude towards contact with them, not seeing much, if anything of them in the last few years.
His son was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sunday.
I’ve written to him expressing my sympathy but no parent should bury their own children.
So, to those who might still have unresolved issues or family with whom you would like to settle your differences, my heartfelt advice would be to not go down Bob’s chosen path as this leads to a loss and pain that can never be resolved.
