It is emotionally gut-wrenching to decide to shut someone out of your life who you’ve loved/felt close to for decades. In my case, it was a brother who broke an unconscionable moral code for me. His action brought my love and regard for him into serious question, and we’ve been estranged ever since. I still hold out hope – and probably always will – that we can reconcile. But I’ve learned a ton through this ordeal that may be helpful to you as well. Dig really deep to truly understand why anything might bother you enough to completely shut out a loved one in your life. Try to put yourself in their shoes to grasp/feel for the personal challenges they may have been facing at the time. How have they responded/attempted to reconnect with you since? Why not simply commit to forgive that person in time and attempt to lead a meaningful reconciliation? Would you have lingering, deep regrets if you never bonded with that person again? Might these answers help you move forward?