not at all quilty post.....

this is Emma.....She is my brother's only daughter, his last born....

 

she looks like my brother and her siblings...she has my father's eyebrows....i wish i could say she was missing, kidnapped or stolen, but it is only her mother's and seemingly her choice that she is a stranger.....it was a messy situation....parents not legally married; angry, vindictive mother who is very intelligent and with devotion to her only child; religious, cultural and social differences.  it started out like most divisions as a financial war, or maybe that was just the excuse.  our family hoped when she grew to adulthood she might be curious about us, at least want to know her father and maybe his family, leave the past behind, but not as yet.  she is brilliant, successful, intelligent, educated and accomplished.  she had advantages her siblings did not, though they are equally intelligent.  my brother is smart, educated, musically gifted, deeply emotional and devastatingly broken-hearted at this estrangement.  with a big family reunion coming up, all our wounds are seeping once again.  this photo was taken from a professional page, not current.  the last one her mother sent was about age 6, nothing since.  my father lived and died without knowing his grand-daughter, a joy robbed from him.  at the end of the day, when all else disappears, the family bonds keep us afloat.  we don't expect her to show up and automatically feel at home, but to do the adult thing and make peace, call a truce, no explanation necessary.  our family consists of imperfect people with flaws and occasional flares of disagreement in the ranks, but we love each other deeply and unconditionally.  i'll add this photo to our family array and there will always be an open chair if the seemingly impossible happens.