Dear Cali Chica:

Notice that I felt anger myself as I read your story this morning, the fuller story of what happened in London. Things do happen that understandably activate our anger, even by proxy, in  me this morning.

Not all anger is ROAR, in other words, don’t reject your anger, it is within you to stay as it must, being all humans are angry at times.

This “Close knit” family has gaps of distance and conflict, as is probably true in every big family. And so,  in the presence of S you can not be the spontaneous person you were that last night of the wedding in London, making jokes regarding S’s date and letting your hair down. So to speak.

Being fake- not an option for you, restrained- yes, but not fake. When you see M and S and whomever else next, don’t smile if you don’t feel like smiling. Don’t inquire about their lives if you don’t care to know. Say “hello” or “good evening” or “your dress looks nice” if you think it does, and that is all. Nothing else.

anita