The Estranged Cat is Out of the Bag and the Herd of Elephants in the Room is Being Acknowledged

Before I begin, I want readers to know that I have a lot of trepidation about posting this two-part article. Although I don't get too specific about my husband's and my experience with estrangement, it identifies us as members of the discarded parents club. The post has been sitting in my draft folder for several weeks and Larry and I have been mulling over it and praying. I spoke to my spiritual director as well. 

After serious consideration, I've decided to post it now during the month of the Sacred Heart uniting our sorrow to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate and sorrowful heart of the Blessed Mother.

Why I Will Never Go "No Contact"

I recently read a shocking statistic. Thirty-eight percent of Americans went "no-contact" with a friend or family member in the past year. That's about one in four individuals. And many remain estranged indefinitely. That's a pretty significant number of people cutting ties with family and friends. 

Why is this happening? Lots of reasons, but I found this particularly sad:

What’s worth noting here is that avoidance has become the default response to relationship friction. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) said they feel inclined to distance themselves from a friend or loved one during difficult moments, rather than communicate openly to solve the problem. [source]

More video of the Dominican Sisters on Oprah