February 2014

                                                                Family Conflict

         Conflict within a family is as common as the family itself. Some battles explode eviscerating, emotional landscapes and the fall out can last a lifetime splintering the very core of our relationships. There are no easy answers for these tangled eruptions that are thorny, confusing, labyrinths of who is wrong and who is right. What is certain is that we each feel hurt and misunderstood and sometimes unable to see another view.

        Relationships are intricate, personal, mirrors, that reflect all that we are and frequently we resist or deny what we see as unfounded and not true. Unlike physical mirrors that adorn our homes, life mirrors aren’t always exact images. More often the reflections we see are exaggerated versions of something we need to understand. It’s no surprise that this can be confusing and something we turn away from.

      Sometimes what we need from relationships change and it’s then that we must decide how to move forward or how to let go. Either way, we don’t need to carry anger, blame, or resentment into our future.  If we can bear to see what we so ardently avoided or learn to accept another person for who they are rather who we would like them to be, then we have a better chance of reconciliation or moving on with love.     

      The hardest thing is to hold on to the rejection, hurt, anger,  and misunderstanding because as a result, we march forward shielded with lances drawn ready for battle and we are exhausted. If you can find your truth in a rift then you can forgive and go forward without battle wounds or scars and you can love.