Yesterday, I was talking with a co-worker about skipping family reunions. Cathy is from upstate New York and she was saying how she is always the one who travels. “Planes go both ways,” as she said. And this past year, she didn’t go to hers either.
But, she went on to say that her brothers posted pictures saying things like, “It’s not the same without you!” and “We miss you!”
What did my sister post this year? A picture of the other five siblings with the caption, “ALMOST all the siblings.”
I wrote to her back in ’07 or ’09 that I feel like I am invited “only to complete the set”. If I needed any further evidence of that, I just got it.
What is missing is any kind of indication that I am loved, wanted, valued as the person that I am — not just as number 6 of 6.
If someone loves you, it should FEEL like they love you.
If they don’t, or they’re incapable of showing it…what difference does it truly make? You’re never really going to know. To me, it’s offering false hope, that maybe [she] could learn, or you’ll keep hanging in there, on the premise that [she] loves you deep down.
It doesn’t change the day to day reality.