My adult daughter and I were estranged for approximately 3 years, this was several years ago. She got mad at me for something, and we did not talk for a long time. During that time, she was going through some personal issues. I decided one Christmas to write her a letter telling her that the best Christmas present I could ever have was to hear from her, have dinner, and begin talking again.

She contacted me, we had dinner, and have been talking ever since. During the time we did not talk, I got counseling. Counseling helped me focus on my issues. Not talking to my only child for that length of time was extremely difficult and a sad time for me.