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BarbB and Golden, waking up to your exchange here, in response to Kryder4’s question -- all felt like exactly the struggle I’m having. I am increasingly frozen and unable, like you folks, to be steady to the end, in displaying a higher way of caring to my poor, long-suffering, wife-abused 96-year-old Dad. The operative word is “frozen,” not unforgiving, not hostile. Just numb and can’t move. Overwhelmed with feelings, that erupted again, finely felt, considered, cried over, distracted from.
When I read your exchange, it seemed to shoot right at my current Therapy Crux: Do I apply Mindfulness to get through this rough patch, or do I yield to my never-ending, tortured (sorry to sound so dramatic) knots of existence. Money wise and on the stage of life, Mindfulness always works. But I literally am sick and nauseous working through the latest knots, which are like those unwanted weeds with a lifeforce that won’t die, won’t resolve. I think the psychologists call it “introjection.” I experience it as cataclysmic plate tectonics that pull me, helplessly, into “complicated grief” and bottomless sorrow, wrestling with ghosts.
For decades, I worked so very hard to detach, to distance myself, to do boundaries, to be “Distance Caregiver.” It’s not working right now. It worked in the past. Lately, it feels hollow and I’m resenting not being able to call it simply “burnout.” Recognizing burnout doesn’t help one bit.
I appreciate how Barb and Golden seemed to agree that semantics and cultural norms about forgiveness masked the depth that each of you have really gone through. Forgiveness seems to be a living baby whose separate existence is always a surprise.
I definitely use Mindfulness techniques (and rubber band out the negatives) as my daily tool. But can any of you relate to the sense that Mindfulness tools are useless, in the face of cataclysmic reaches from the grave of my tortured mother, the living death/slow declines of my loved ones, realizing the depths of love cannot be resolved? Wishing I didn’t have to respond to the lovely words and heart warmths you left this a.m. …
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Kryder the fact that you seek help with your feelings is, in itself, a sign of mental health so that's a positive. Barb in Brooklyn shared great wisdom, as did everyone else. I just want to add a little idea that's helped in the past: write your mom a letter and tell her everything you ever wanted to say to her. Take your time, write it over many days in short increments, or on one long night with a glass of wine, but be shameless and honest with what you say. You don't have to worry about anyone's feelings but yours- and that can be very therapeutic.
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I think perhaps without realizing it -- it is yourself you have to forgive for the anger you feel and still feel toward your mother. You cannot wish away that anger and resentment and you cannot "forgive" her until you go through that journey of reconciling yourself to that real pain and real abuse that you suffered. After all she put you through you did not abandon her - that speaks volumes for the good person that you are...

Listen to me: YOU DID NOT CAUSE HER PAIN OR HER GRIEF OR HER ILLNESSES. You are innocent. My advice is to find a therapist - keep trying. A good one is hard to find. You also might want to pick up a book - I found this one helpful: The Narcissist Family Diagnosis and Treatment by Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman and Robert M. Pressman.

Here's a quote: "..needs of the parent... take precedence over needs of the children" - you know that already - but here's another bit: "..over time children learn that their feelings are of little or of negative value....they feel responsible.. to.. correct the situation... they fail to learn how to know what they feel.."

I hope I am not overstepping - and obviously I can't really know how to help. My instinct tells me that it is not your mother you need to forgive - at least not yet - it is yourself. That is what narcissistic parents do unwittingly to their children - they make us feel responsible for their pain. We are not. We were but innocent children.

Hope this helps. Hang in there, you are not alone. I feel for you.
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Forgiveness is hard. I don't think many of us can come to forgiveness without help. Is it any wonder that Jesus talked about faith and asking God for help right after talking about forgiveness? The few times in my life that full forgiveness came out of me, the power came from God. It was quite unexpected and shocked me. In one instance when my hurt was so bad I went to God daily with my troubles. Day after day I complained to God (yes you can do that). One day suddenly I felt forgiveness for the other person come over me. I didn't need to try, or to do it, or to fake it. It was a gift. Since then I believe forgiveness comes from God when our hearts seek him in our trouble. He forgives us, yes. But he also gives us the power to forgive. Doesn't it make sense that it comes from Him alone?
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Kryder4, I'm so sorry for what you're going through. My N mom is 90 and as insufferable as ever. I have endured physical and emotional abuse from her all my life, and it continues to this day. Here's what I have learned over the course of my 54 years (22 spent in therapy): It's okay not to forgive your abuser. You can move forward in life with peace and acceptance of what is and make your healing journey even if you don't forgive. I've forgiven myself for all the years I spent stewing about how badly my mother treats me, and now I've moved on to acceptance. When I see her and she starts in on me, I call her out on it, voice how I feel, and push on to something else or leave/hang up the phone. I don't let her live in my head anymore. I accept her as she is and protect myself at all costs, which is what you seem to have done by going no contact. Be good to yourself and don't pressure yourself to feel forgiveness if you're not ready. You may never be.
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Someone told me once : our soul is always watching. We should leave the judgements to god. At the end of life, everybody knows what they did wrong, deep inside. You should spend the rest of your life being happy. You deserve it.
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You must take comfort in knowing you did everything you could for your mom. The forgiveness comes once you decide that. I could have written this story as it pararells mine however my mom is still here. We love the deepest love for mom because she is and was our mom. However, the pain you feel now is for yourself. It must come from allowing yourself the opportunity to exhale. Because of the dance with someone that was so good at finding our inequaties, and so good at holding us hostage, a parent is deeply afraid of being alone. The illness was hers, and not yours although through the years the guikt and shame coupled with wanting the same thing, your love and approval in a totally wrong demonstration of motherhood, you are now left with "what do i do now?" After all, your life was dictated over. Breathe. Exhale. Move into the future. Let the past go. There are valuable lessons learned there. Appreciate the fact she had very strong mental disorder, but you dont. So once you can allow yourself to see how you did all that you could, let the regret go. You are one hevk of a strong woman that now is free. Allow yourself the opportunity to write your story now as you decide it is ok to let her go. What will you do now? The page of today is open and all the pabes moving forward. Show us who you truly are... a compassionate, loving, caring person who would deny herself to please another. Its your life now. Where will you go? What will you do that is pleasing for you. Explore your own destiny and loving power. Thank you for taking care of her. Now please take care of you.
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Im may be the only one to say this, but fogiving someone is up to YOU. Only you know how your mother's behavior affected you.

There are some people that IMO don't deserve forgiveness and IMO a person that mentally abuses their child does not deserve forgivess.

Our society loves to invalidate a person's feelings by pushing forgiveness.

Focus on yourself and be good to you, you did more for your mom than she deserved, this shows you have a good heart.
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You don't have to forgive your mom, Kryder. She was mean to you all of your life and never mended her ways or apologized.

The forgiveness piffle is perpetuated by the bible crowd. You've gone through enough. Don't let outside forces tell you how to feel or think. Funny you never hear them urging abusers to change their ways or compensate for their damages.

Go ahead and feel your anger and other feelings without guilt. With time and distance the negative feelings will recede and you will feel better.
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Barb is spot on...one day I came to realize ...mom really doesnt Get It.! My counselor explained to me that the really crazy things she did..like trying to drown my brother and I when we were toddlers..or racing off in the car..saying she was going to drive off a bridge..if she were in a manic state...she probably doesnt remember these things...so yeah....mentally ill...acceptance...and relief I survived it..kinda ..lol..sane. Secret? Dont dwell on it...lay it down...
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My alcoholic, venomous mother still lives with me. I, too, suffer the insults and belittling you suffered, yet I continue to keep her safe, secure, and comfortable in a specially build apartment in my home. Why? I feel, as you did, that it is our duty.

A friend of mine of the Satsang faith told me that by continuing to care for her during all these years of abuse is wiping out bad karma that I may have had from a past life. (interesting) He told me to look upon her patiently and see the improvement in me! Does this help when she's belittling me? Not right then, but later, away from her venom, I can see that I am learning patience.

Another friend told me that when I go to bed say the Lord's prayer and focus on the "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" passage. After that, to put your own life in perspective, list to yourself those persons and things for which you are grateful. You mother may or may not be among them...and that is OK. For me, this has helped me most. I sleep better after a prayer and this self-reminder of the good things in my life.
Forgive yourself first....
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Not Shakespeare. Pope.

The OP says that from her sixteenth to her eighteenth birthday, her mother "held it over her head" that the OP would be moving out on her eighteenth birthday. So she complains both that her mother maintained this constant threat during formative years, and that her mother gave her two weeks in which to make a "frantic effort" to find somewhere else to live. Well, constant background threat or short notice, neither terribly maternal I agree. But she can't have it both ways.

We then have thirty years of constant demands for attention and stubborn refusal to consider structured professional support. Thirty years and still no boundaries, no strategies?

We then have one therapist after another, none helpful, and finally an appeal to us for a solution that nobody has yet thought of. Since when, the OP has not come back. Seems we didn't help either.

She never could make her mother different from what she really was, and she never will be able to change what has happened. The only possible solution must lie in herself, and how she responds to her world. Would it be surprising if what she's looking for is certainty and security, from someone or something who is *supposed* to provide it? But her reality is that she has to stop wishing people had been as they ought to have been, and create her own certainties instead. I suspect she's always been looking in the wrong places.
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Your mother's behavior is not uncommon. If you are the kind of person for whom forgiveness is important look for books with forgiveness in the title. There's on called Radical Forgiveness. Look for websites too. And there's a prof and Stanford but I can't remember his name who has studied forgiveness. Forgiving someone can actually change your brain chemistry in a good way. Read Eckhart Tolle's books, The Power of Now and A New Earth. Your mother had some bad stuff happen to her when she was very young that wounded her and she lived her life through those wounds, not knowing any other way. Perfect forgiveness is not necessary. Just learn about it first. And maybe start with forgiving yourself. It's OK to be angry or even enraged at your Mom. By the way, I go to Al-Anon because my family and extended family is deep in the disease of alcoholism. Frequently I've heard people at meetings say there's no one in their family that is alcoholic but their therapist recommended the program anyway. There's also CODA, Codependents Anonymous. 12 Step Programs are free and anyone can just go and listen. When there's a narcissist in the family there's never a co-dependent too far away. Look for books and articles and videos online about women with narcissist mothers. It's hard. I have a narcissistic mother. She is still alive. My Dad died in October 2017. It's especially hard to grieve because they were two sick people in a very unhealthy marriage. My mom is 80. I am staying in touch with her more which can be hard. Just phone contact because she is in Ohio and I am in California. Take care of yourself. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that with your mother in your lifetime.
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That is a tough one. I do have a question; if she was in a "retirement home", why was she allowed to disappear for 18 hours?
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I’m in that situation. I forgave the behavior, the sickness, and still hurts, but understanding the behavior and dysfunctional dynamics opened me to understand my personal limits and what forgiveness is for me first, and what is available for my mother. Self compassion is key for me and guilt lessens over time. I don’t see her so much as the absent or abusive mother anymore, more someone with sick behavior. Take special care of yourself.
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Dear Kryder,

My deepest sympathies and condolences. I am sorry for your loss. I know none of us have perfect relationships with our parents. And dealing with a parent who's personality is the complete opposite of our own is very hard.

It is only natural to feel resentment and anger after everything you have done. People say forgiveness is not for the other person but for you. About releasing the expectation that things could be different.

I think deep down we all want our parents to say "I love you. I am proud of you. Thank you for helping me." And sometimes we just don't get that. It is really hard to come to terms with.

Take your time and keep talking it out. Asking these questions is part of your grief journey.

Thinking of you.
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Well said, golden!
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Working through the morning brain fog - so I will make only a few comments.

Dori - you are equating forgiveness with absolution. They are not the same thing.
Taken from a Catholic site-wwtn.com/v/experts/showmessage
To forgive is to forget, to ignore any offense given, to consider a sore matter closed -it is between one person and another. Absolution is far greater. It is a divine process in which the eternal guilt of our serious sins is forever wiped away by no less than God Himself

Forgiveness does not imply condoning or absolution. I am not in a position to absolve anyone of anything. Forgiveness is for me, to let go of the anger, revenge, resentment, bitterness. As someone put it, "to let go of my right to hurt you for hurting me." That benefits me. It releases negative emotions. That does not in any way change the responsibility of the abuser for what they did - spiritually, morally or legally. Forgiveness does not take that away. Nor does it mean I should forget and go back for more.

In my case, I still see my mother as "guilty" of the abuse, and I don't condone abuse. I still take steps to protect myself, but, partly because I have taken protective steps and distanced myself, I can now have some compassion for her as a very troubled person who had great challenges living with her mental illness, and who also, on rare occasions allowed love to show. I am not owning her abuse, nor finding it acceptable in any way, but I am releasing the negative emotions that the abuse triggered in me. as that is better for me. And, as other have said, it is a process.

Time for another coffee. 😊 ☕
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All these very thoughtful responses have caused me to give some deeper thought to this.

I totally agree with what Dorianne said: "If you forgive your mother, then basically, in your mind, you have made it acceptable for her to have done all the things she did to you." You are, in essence, consenting to your own abuse.

What happened for me after my sister died was that gradually, I simply removed my emotional energy from the conflicts I had had with her. I don't know that I would have been able to do that if she were still living. For one thing, she would never have stopped blaming and criticizing me, and in other ways making my life difficult. She would have made it impossible to welcome my mother's housemate/caregiver into our family, because she believed that the housemate had once spoken unflatteringly of her (in defense of me, actually). She would have blocked the sincere friendship between me and her husband, because she suspected there was more than friendship on both sides of that. To the last, she was constantly airing her suspicions and grievances about me with other family members, and trying to get them to take her side.

All this kept me tangled in rage and hurt and confusion during her lifetime. I don't have to keep those feelings alive now, in her absence. I've withdrawn my emotional energy from them. I did that even while she was still alive, but very sick. Compassion took over then, and I cared for her in the hospital as much as she would allow, and stood by her bedside holding her hand and talking to her as she died.

It's not forgiveness, really. It's choosing not to feed the angry feelings and instead invest that emotional energy in more uplifting, more worthwhile lines of thought.
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TreeArtist,

((((Hugs))) I understand. The cumulative damage of being "raised" by a narcissistic parent is horrific. At least you had the sense to establish boundaries with your mom, which is more than I can say for myself. Good for you!

In my opinion, forgiveness can't be forced. It sort of "evolves." Learning to establish boundaries, I began to fully understand how sick Mom is. I see her now as an object of pity. What a miserable excuse for a human being! I wouldn't be my mother for the world!

Of course you're angry! She damaged and destroyed precious relationships. Her controlling nature and constant criticism eroded your self esteem. She robbed you of your childhood. It was always about her needs, her wishes, her desires, but never yours.

Look at it this way: she's gone. Don't allow her memory to hurt you! Anger is like poison. It not only hurts you but those who love you. Normally I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year I did; promising myself I'd no longer allow Mom to steal my happiness or peace of mind, not one more day or minute! She's taken enough already; she'll get no more! Just because Mom is miserable doesn't mean I have to be. From now on I turn my thoughts and actions toward things that give me joy and surround myself with people who are kind, constructive, and uplifting.

The net effect has been forgiveness. I'm not saying I never feel anger. Once in awhile I do, but it's nothing like the rage I used to feel. It's like healing from an injury. The pain I used to drag around like a ball and chain is gone.

You've already taken the first step by deciding you want to be free of the anger. It doesn't happen overnight; it's a process. But you're worth it!
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Kryder that is the thing about not forgiving. It eats us up. Have you not ever done something terrible to anyone and want to take it back, want their forgiveness?
You said you have gotten counselling, I too had a problem with forgiveness for a long time. I began reading my bible and learned the following:
If I do not forgive, I will not be forgiven by God.
If Christ died so that I can be forgiven, who do I think I am
to withhold forgivess
Vengeance is God's not ours
To truly love, keeps no record of wrong
Forgiveness is difficult, but with God's help it is do able, and when it is done, it frees you from that burden.
Best wishes to you in this ordeal and may God help you see how you can forgive.
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Here are three separate teachings.
On the subject of forgiveness what I think I remember was that we are to forgive 70x7. That because it’s very difficult to forgive. We have to do it over and over. Which ties in nicely with many times we bury the hatchet BUT we leave the handle up so we can grab it easily.
A good lesson I heard once in a Unity Church asked the question. Are we bitter or better. It basically taught that we are choosing to be one or the other. You can’t be both. Set your intention to be better.
But my favorite is the Cherokee grandfather  talking with his grandson.
The grandfather told grandson that he was troubled. “Why” asked the grandson.
The grandfather told him “ I have two wolves in my heart that are fighting. One wants revenge and the other asks for forgiveness “
“Which one will win, Grandfather” asked the grandson.
“The one I feed” said the grandfather. “The wolf I feed.”
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To what you're saying golden....

I think you can find the humanity in someone, which I think is what you're talking about when you talk about compassion? Without having to forgive them, which is a form of absolution.

I'm not sure people who are abused are always capable of giving absolution to their abusers, to be honest. Because they have already been so broken down by the abuser to accept the treatment they've been given, then in some cases, forgiveness is just an extension of being broken down by the abuser.
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Yeah, my first thought was, "Why do you have to forgive her?" So I'm in agreement with Barb and Carla here. And I just think forgiveness is highly overrated.  There are even things in this world that are unforgivable. I don't even see that as an issue of belief.  Some things are unforgivable.  Full stop. 

Maybe this is a radical take, but....who are you really "giving" your forgiveness to? Your mom is not here. She can't accept your forgiveness. The only place your forgiveness will live is in your mind. And if you forgive your mother, then basically, in your mind, you have made it acceptable for her to have done all the things she did to you. You forgave them, so therefore they were forgivable things, according to your values and standards. And if they are forgivable things according to your values and standards, then they are acceptable things according to your values and standards.

So I would say again, why are you doing that? Why would you go against your own values and standards to basically own what she did to you....to put the responsibility of absolving her for her sins on your shoulders? And for what? Do you think it will give you peace? I hate to be the one to tell you, but peace is a thing that only comes with time and distance....which is why you can't rush forgiveness, if it's ever going to come.

If I were a religious person - which I'm not, but I was once - I would probably say "forgiveness" is god's domain, not the province of mere mortals. And who are any of us to usurp the role of god as supreme judge of all things.

What you are is "stuck." And getting yourself unstuck obviously isn't happening by way of forgiving. So you can keep beating your head against this wall, or you can start looking around for other ways to unstick yourself, so you can move forward through your grief and the rest of your life.  And maybe down the road you will be able to forgive, if that's what you want to do.  But you can't push it or it will only be false forgiveness anyway.
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Such wonderful thoughts being posted so far. As Shakespeare wrote “To err is human, to forgive divine”, and I have found it to be so. I needed divine help to forgive people in my past, as my rage was all consuming at the time. I say consuming, because I was given the grace to see how my bitterness and anger was “eating me up”, and for my sake and the sake of my children, I had to forgive, but didn’t know how.
I agree that forgiveness is not a quick, easy thing to do. For some situations, it is an ongoing process. And I don’t believe that forgiveness means we continue to put ourselves in harms way.
I had to distance and detach myself from the people involved as much as possible. Then I had to become willing to forgive. This is an important spiritual concept. I knew my Christian beliefs required me to forgive, and I knew it was important for my spiritual, mental, and physical health, but it was beyond my human capabilities to do so. I needed divine help. I remember first asking God for the willingness to be willing to forgive (that’s how bad it was!). Somehow I understand that my will was something separate from my thoughts and feelings and could be alligned to God’s will. A practical step that I took to bring me freedom was to pray for the people who had hurt me. The things I wanted for myself, I prayed for them. Believe me, this was no one-time deal. I spent years working toward forgiveness, but I was willing because I was tired of living in bondage. I wanted to be free.
As to how to forgive someone who has died, the same willingness could be asked for. I don’t believe in prayers for the dead, but I believe the action would still work at this point because it would benefit you. You cannot pray for someone (even dead) and remain angry with them for long. As you re-experience a memory that caused you pain and anger, pray for them. At first, I wasn’t even sure what to pray for. What would I want for myself that I could pray that the other person would receive? I had to really get in touch with myself on that one as I didn’t even know what I wanted! Mostly I prayed for peace, and comfort, and assurance of God’s love. I also prayed, and still do, for the ability to love, because unlike the original poster, I didn’t love many people. You asked for some new answer to be able to forgive. Become willing and let God create the forgiveness within you.
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Certainly true! I hope the OP comes back!
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Certainly, it never has been facile or unthoughtful.

Several points:
1 ) In order to properly forgive, one must acknowledge and feel the depths of one's pain caused by the acts of the person who needs to be forgiven.
2) It is very difficult to forgive an abusive parent for the pain of ongoing abuse. and takes a lot of energy. I remember reading in the bible about forgiving 70x7 and clocked that up in one day and thought, "What now?"
3) My conclusion was to, as far as I could, remove myself from the abuse, to detach and to protect myself any way I could, and to keep forgiving, understanding, as you have written, that the person may not been able to behave any differently. However, it is very hard for a child to remove him/herself from an abusive parent.
(That brings up a whole other issue which is, to what extent are we able to choose our behaviours, how much do genetics, brain wiring and/or childhood trauma determine our behaviours? Of course, there is no definitive answer to that.)
4) I don't believe in forgetting, except in the case that there is true repentance/change on the part of the abuser. One needs one's memories for self protection. When there is true repentance, I have experienced that an improved relationship can be formed, and that the bad memories fade. It is a very rewarding experience. Unfortunately, it has never happened in my blood family.
4) To me, the quick "forgive and forget" is harmful. It encourages us to alienate ourselves from our feelings, and shows no empathy or understanding by the speaker for the one who has been hurt.

Perhaps we are not so far apart after all. Often the semantics have to be sorted out.
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Golden, I respect what you are saying.

Maybe my "understand" and your " forgive" are part of a two step process. I would find it difficult to forgive an abusive parent who was doing ongoing harm to me. I think perhaps the first step in forgiving parents like this is to understand that they couldn't really do any better than they did.

I find that SOME folks are quick to tell others to "forgive and forget" when the self knowledge that comes from understanding grants us the power to change our point of view, helps us move past bitterness in a deeper way than a facile "I forgive you" does.  Your forgiveness is clearly NOT facile or unthoughtful.
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From my point of view I forgive for my sake, not for their's. I don't want to carry unforgiveness inside myself. It is a negative emotion. Also the tenets of my faith in instruct me to forgive others. My God says I will be forgiven as I forgive others. I don't believe this necessarily means you have to announce your forgiveness to others, though there may be a time and place for that at times. The main thing is to keep your "heart" clean of unforgiveness. It is a decision, not a feeling initially, though the feelings follow, and not necessarily a one time decision. I forgave the young man who killed my son. It was a quick and certain decision. I forgave my mother in an ongoing fashion for years as she was verbally and emotionally abusive. I believe I benefited from forgiving. I don't carry any bitterness, and can have compassion for people who hurt me. It isn't "cheap" forgiveness, where you do not acknowledge to yourself the depth of your hurt. You have to work that through too.

I really disagree with you on this one, Barb
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I agree with Barb. Why should you forgive her?

Perhaps the problem is that you never had a chance to get any resolution with her. She died and left you with a boatload of feelings and no way to direct or discharge them. I know that's very hard to accept.

I had something a bit similar with my eldest sister, who died in 2016. The last few years of her life we had a very contentious relationship, rooted in conflicts over caregiving for my mother. Things got very ugly between us, and were never resolved before her death. I was tangled up in angry and hurt feelings for a long time. For me, the feelings gradually eased over time as my focus shifted to other aspects of my life. It helps to talk about it and get validation for your feelings if you can, but beyond that I think it's just a matter of time.
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