Jeanne PhillipsDEAR ABBY: I am estranged from my sister, whom I love dearly. The reason goes back many years. When I was 13, her husband got me drunk and molested me. While I never forgot, I did repress it – possibly due to my age.
Time went on, I thought I had moved on and life would continue as usual. Well, five years ago the trauma erupted inside of me. My therapist thinks that possibly what triggered it was becoming a grandmother.
I cannot talk to my sister’s husband, let alone look at him. The sight of him makes me physically ill, which is obvious to everyone. Exposing him would devastate my sister, her family and our extended family.
I am praying for guidance and the strength to forgive him, but it’s not working, and neither is therapy. I am now regarded as the “bad guy” and left isolated with no one except my amazing husband. My own kids are skeptical and think I am destroying our family. Advice, Abby? – SO LOST IN THE MIDWEST
DEAR SO LOST: Because keeping quiet and talking to a therapist haven’t helped you, I will suggest another route for healing. Call your family together. Tell them exactly what happened when you were 13 and that you can no longer keep quiet about it.