would be a family-oriented person if only you had a family to be that person with. It’s letting go of that last sliver of hope that someone could change and be the person you need them to be. It’s letting go of the hope for a childhood, a family, a parent relationship, a sibling relationship that you didn’t have but deeply wanted. This, right here, is a necessary step in the fawner’s healing process. We can’t jump straight to acceptance and compassion without first acknowledging the ways in which it hurts, too.
