Felix was a very successful business man. He had started with nothing, worked his way up and became wealthy and secure. He had married, had children, divorced, and was now enjoying his life.
Then his son got into trouble of his own devise. And to bail out his son, Felix virtually bankrupted himself. Then Felix fell ill.
I met him in a homeless shelter. Few people visted him. There was a sister, who came once and a while and a friend, but not his son. His son was ‘busy’.
If you can envision this man who did nothing wrong, this man who had prepared himself for a comfortable old age, now in a homeless shelter because a worthless child put obligations on him, then you will not be dismayed that your children have gone on with their lives, leaving you out.
George had children with his first wife, and it was a devasting divorce. To get the children out of the front line, his mother took them, He married again, had more children. His mother refused to let him have his children, and ran the ex-wife.
The minds of his sons were so poisoned against him that he wasn’t at their weddings because he wasn’t invited.
George went on with his life, and was rather happy.
He didn’t know that the first son’s marriage ended in divorce, that the second had an autistic child. He didn’t find out for years that the 2nd son’s wife had divorced him, taken everything and that he wound up on the street. George had been so excluded from their lives that everything he learned about them was years late and fifth hand.
He had tried to make contact but they wouldn’t answer his calls or emails. George left state, and went on with his life quite comfortably.
Some times, not having ‘baggage’ is a blessing.