Of all the gifts given and received this festive season, the greatest of all was delivered by the postman just before Christmas... a parcel from Luke, containing a letter and gifts for his sisters and a letter for his Mum. Luke will probably never realise just how happy they are now, and there's no way that we could adequately express it on here, but we felt that we had to let the world know about it. In his letter he says that he's doing well and is enjoying his life, and we're happy for him.
In the letter to his Mum Luke raises many issues which are of concern, some of those issues are valid, some are not. It's clear that there's a need to deal with those issues, but sadly Luke did not include either a postal or an email address, so there's no way that we can have two-way communications to get things sorted. This also means that we can't send Luke the presents and mail that have been accumulating here for him since his departure.
The "Missing Luke Talion" Facebook group page has now been taken down by the page's administrator because it has served its original purpose and because Luke said that it was having adverse effects on his personal and professional lives, despite his claim that he'd not actually read it. We would like to thank everyone that supported the group, and also those who offered support via this blog. If you're one of them then you have our gratitude and we wish you well. If you still need to contact us off-blog about this, you can use the Contact Page here, it's email-based so whatever's sent doesn't get published on the blog.
One of the readers of the Facebook group kindly sent the page's administrator a recent photo of Luke out with some of his friends, here it is with appropriate pixelation:
BTW, I'd decided on the title for this post some days ago, but I thought that I'd Google it to be sure that I'd got it about right. I'd say it's a coincidence of biblical proportions that the text is from Luke 2:10
That really is a lovely bit of news Stef. Thank you. And all the very best wishes to Luke and all his family.
Stef,
I am not prying and i am not asking any questions. I just want you to know that 17 yrs ago i fell out big style with my eldest daughter. We have not spoke for all that time. She is now 34 and has a family. She has now grown up and realised how short life really is.
We have now made contact and although we are not back to being bosom buddies as yet, we have a least given each other a hug and swopped Christmas cards. Its a new beginning.
Keep the faith, don't give up hope and at some point in the future there may be progress. BUT it has to be 2 way........Happy New Year ................Alan
@AlanR -
Alan,
Thanks for those words of support. This is what was puzzling about the whole situation - there was not a big face to face row or bust up just before Luke went missing. He has written to me and the things that were bothering him were issues that he felt he could not discuss with me when he was a child, some of it related to things that he had been told about me rather than stuff that he remembers first hand.
Luke does say in his letter that Stef is a decent chap, and his deep love for his 2 sisters is obvious - the letter really suggests that all of his anger is focused on me. I know that my son has become a man during the last 6 years and as I said on the group page before it was taken down, we have all changed and it will take some time for us to get to know each other again.
Being a parent is stressful, but being a child/ teenager and feeling that people have high expectations of you but that you have no real control over your life can be even more stressful.
I do hope that you make more progress with your eldest daughter and that the New Year brings you even closer.
One step at a time............
Chris
Hi Stef and Family
Really pleased to read about Luke contacting you, I know it must have been very difficult for you all over the last few years, and hope that things will get even better.
I have recently formed a very good friendship with my 'lost' cousin who had a very hard life after her parents divorced and she was put in care when her mother abandoned her in Singapore of all places, and now I feel privileged to now have a whole new branch to my family.
Hope for the future!
Mike