Waiting for your estranged one to change is often postponing your own life.

When someone you love walks away, waiting can become a way of life.

You wait for the phone to ring.

You check your texts.

You wonder if today might be the day you hear from them.

A birthday comes around and you wonder if they'll reach out. Then a holiday. Then another birthday.

And somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, you can begin putting your own life on hold.

I understand why.

When a relationship is important to us, we want to fix it. We think if we can just find the right words, give it enough time, apologize one more time, explain ourselves better or reach out at just the right moment, maybe things will change.

Hope isn't a bad thing. I don't believe you have to give up hope for reconciliation.

But there is a difference between having hope and living in waiting.

And sometimes that difference is hard to see.

Find the full transcript for this episode and resources for women navigating family estrangement at beckykolb.com/85

What do you struggle with most in family estrangement? What topic would you like to hear? Send me a text.

Becky Kolb is a Certified Life Coach specializing in Family Estrangement. Although you can't control another person's choices about reconciliation, you can control you so that it doesn't define your whole life. You can leave the door open without standing in the doorway and discover peace to live joyfully - even amid estrangement.

Download the free guide to "Things to Do When A Loved One Walks Away" at www.beckykolb.com/guide

I offer a 30 minute free conversation to answer your questions about coaching, explain how I can help you discover wholeness and peace with coaching. It's a no-pressure and no-obligation conversation. www.beckykolb.com/consultation