To me, any amount of progress is hope for bigger things to come. There may be bumps along the way of progress but if we expect that there will be then we are not so discouraged when they occur. I would venture to guess that there is almost never a sudden and absolute about-face with no bumps on the road to resolution with estrangement. Even with our own personal road to becoming a mature disciple of Christ, we stumble, fall down and take detours along the way. Why should we expect otherwise from our EK's? yet, it would be nice if our EK's had the same expectations of us parents, wouldn't it? :-)

Good thoughts again Maria!

Maria...May you find..."Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, friendships to brighten your being, a stronger faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, but most of all - Love to complete your life.” (Author unknown)

It takes courage to reach out. Many of us hold back out of fear of rejection from our EK's. Yet, it does happen and so we have to be prepared for it. We can't always know what the perfect timing is for them. We see the perfect timing as when we want to do something because we think the timing is right. Because we cannot know for certain where their hearts are at on any given moment, prayerfully we can try. I think that is doing God's will rather than never doing anything at all and waiting entirely for them to reach out to us. Sometimes circumstances does indicate that is the way to go, but not always. IMHO.

MariaS, I especially liked your comment "I want the footprints of my life to be going towards my EC when I am no longer here". Beautifully said. I'm glad that you did not retreat because you are being prompted (I'm assuming) to move forward, even if in small steps. You are being obedient.

Taking small steps with you too sister. It's not easy for me to know if I should try to make contact or not. My ES has with certain words told me not to pursue a relationship with him and his accusations have been: "I will not be bullied into a relationship with you"...however, all that I've tried to do is to "love" him...and the accusations are straight from the enemy...the last time I checked, bullies don't send you words of love and encouragement...which is all that I did. God reminds me that He is in control of this whole situation, and that I need to be a bit more patient for now, and let God do His mysterious work behind the scenes and to trust Him more. I think I keep messing things up when I try to hurry the reconciliation process up...so, as of today, I'm learning to step aside, and let God work on my behalf. My ES knows how to contact me...the waiting is so, so...difficult...in the end, God will give us clear direction if we let Him do it His way. Keep looking upward! Your ES is probably ready for you to reach out and for now, I know that my ES needs more time..praying that God will give you more wisdom and you will know what to do..every parent/child relationship is different...and sounds like your steps forward are being accepted...I am not there yet with my ES, but maybe someday soon. I'm steeping sideways...not backwards...but not forward yet, but if God is prompting you to step forward...you go girl! It's a stepping dance with God as our guide. Thanks for your words and lessons in faith.