Dear Dorothy:

Like you wrote, you could write books about your life experience.

Maybe the rich brother doesn’t want to see you because you remind him of his crimes, crimes of cheating you (and other siblings) out of money… Maybe that is not his motivation.  I don’t know. In any case, better stop chasing him for get-togethers.

As you know all too well, Family is far from being all that we wished it would be. Not even close. There is so much we hope, as children: hope for love, for happiness, and if we aren’t loved, we make believe we are, holding on to any semblance of love.

The restaurant, it meant a lot to you even though financially, it meant nothing for you, at least not ever since your brother owned it, correct? It was a symbol of Family, of what family is meant to be, in our hopes and dreams as children.

I am a passionate fan of viewing reality as it is, letting go of wishful thinking, make-believe thinking and see life as-it-is. And so, I recommend that you see every person in your life the way he/ she is, not the way you wished they were. And then, relax best you can into this reality.

You mentioned of few of your challenges, which I share: food and body issues as well as colon discomfort. There are ways to improve one’s life even with these specific challenges.

I am curious, 42 years of therapy? What did therapy so far teach you, how was it like, therapy, all these years? All in one small town..?

anita