On the topic of grandchildren, I'd like to point out that this Sunday is officially "Estranged Grandparents Day". There was a topic on here a few months ago, touching on the subject of grandparents who are denied all contact with their grandchildren, mainly through estrangement from their adult children and/or their partners, and the total, never ending heartbreak it causes. The topic was inviting us to put questions to the lovely lady who runs a support group in Bristol and I have found her to be very supportive and have signed up for her newsletters.
For many of us, this lockdown period has just magnified "ten fold" the fact that for many of us, this situation has been our "new normal" for many months or even years, and will not end after this pandemic with cuddles, hugs and kisses with our dear grandchildren. There are no Facetime or Skype sessions for us to keep in touch, and we have absolutely no idea how our grandchildren are, what they are doing, what being told, or if they will ever remember us, what we look like, and the good times we once had. For us, there will be no end to this and it is truly a living bereavement, as we have not only "lost" our adult children but our dear grandchildren, too. Apparently there are over 2 million grandparents in this tragic situation, mostly through no fault of their own.
To mark the occasion on Sunday we have been invited to paint pebbles for our grandchildren and leave them in places to be found with a little explanatory note. A lovely idea, but I do not have any large pebbles or suitable paint to hand, so won't be doing it. However, I just want to remember the day, because for many of us, the feeling you all have now is a permanent fixture in our lives and our situation is not temporary.
Thanks for listening and remember us on Sunday.