Dear Queenie,
My father was an abusive alcoholic and our childhood was just terrible. Most of us have managed to forgive him, but one brother and one sister still don’t want anything to do with him.
Dad is getting old and senile and probably won’t live much longer.
Queenie, how can we get those two to forgive him and come visit him occasionally before it’s too late?—Grown-up sister
Dear Sister,
You probably cannot. Some people are capable of forgiving an abuser and some find it better to just cut him (or her) out of their lives – even if they manage to find forgiveness in their hearts. Let your siblings deal with their unhappy memories in whatever way they find best.
