Our experience with teens, young adults, and families who seek our guidance clearly demonstrates that the community at large
is struggling to maintain a sense of peace within themselves and within their homes. For this reason, we will provide several weeks of inspiration to foster better communication and stronger relationships.
Finding peace is something we can all make happen. It will serve those we love. It will serve our community. And, it is a life’s work; a gentle, important, and calming piece of peace, one day at a time.
A woman in her early 20’s contacted the Madraigos office seeking help with various addictions stemming from an old traumatic event. In our meeting, she shared her difficult history as a result of her trauma, and the depths to which she had fallen over many years. She felt that she had reached a point in her life where she finally needed
to get help.
Towards the end of the meeting, I asked about her relationship with her parents and if they were supportive of her quest for help. Drawing from what she had already shared, I was shocked by her response, “My parents? Oh my gosh, yes! My parents are the best people in the world. There is no way I would have ever made it this far without them.” She then detailed a relationship with her parents
that had surpassed all odds. She had left behind their values, their religious beliefs, even their home, and yet, they never cut her off
and never stopped loving her. If anything, they had grown closer and closer throughout the years. In fact, she credited this loving
relationship for being the reason she was now ready to buckle down and turn her life around.
I work with families that are being painfully torn apart - spouses, siblings, parents, and children. When the pain is so new and raw, it
can feel impossible to imagine there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it may be far out in the distance. When parents feel
that their child is rejecting everything that they have taught them; their values and all that they stand for, it can cause a deep, endless
pain that is indescribable. It’s natural to respond to that pain with anger towards the child who ‘caused it’. Inevitably, this causes a rift in the family with constant conflict and discord.
However, if those parents are able to utilize whatever resources and support available to overcome their anger, they can create a
relationship with that child that transcends the pain. They have the ability to continue building a home of peace and support. Parents can build a bridge of love that allows their child to find his or her way back home. While this path may be full of challenges and anxiety, it will ultimately have a ripple effect on the entire family and potentially bring about a wholesome and genuine shalom bayis.
sfs