Dear Queenie,
My mother and her sister had a big argument many years ago and since then her sister won’t have anything to do with my mom. All of the family agrees that it was the sister’s fault, but my mom is still upset about the whole thing after all these years.
She has developed high blood pressure and an ulcer and we are worried that she might have a stroke, but she can’t seem to let go of this quarrel even though it is ruining her health.
Queenie, how can we help her?—Worried daughter
Dear Daughter,
Part of her problem probably is that your mother still loves her sister and cannot stop hoping to reconcile with her, but that does not seem likely.
Professional counselling might help her deal with it; if not a medical/psychiatric counsellor, perhaps her pastor if your mother is of a religious frame of mind.
