Meeting this week with my niece

This week I saw my niece.  My immediate family and I had a falling out two years ago and we haven't spoken to each other since.  My niece came to my work and my initial reaction was to snap at her "What are you doing here?"  To her credit, she handled it with grace and said she wanted to talk to me.  She asked if I'd be around at noon and I said my lunch time was at 1pm.  She came back at 12:30pm.  We talked a while and  she told me some things.  My dad was in a wheelchair short term due to a leg injury and a hip problem but he has recovered and is walking and back at work.   My nephew is moving to Iowa in a few months with his girlfriend and a friend of his.  My sister and brother in law are doing ok as they can be.  Unfortunately my niece and her husband are partially separated and may be doing so permanently.   I told her that I had prostate cancer surgery last September and that I was still recovering.  I also told her about the fire in our building this past January 8th.  We had a nice chat and after a bit, I told her I had to get back to work.   When she left, I felt emotionally better than I have in a very long time.  I had some semblance of peace.   The family feels the impact of our falling out as I do and is respectfully giving me time and space.  Some family members can never be forgiven for what they did but others have some hope.   I'm tired of being intimidated and I'm tired of being walked on so while there is little hope of reconciliation,  there is a release, a letting go.  This is real progress so I'm glad I talked to my niece AND as long as she remains respectful, she can return to where I work and we can talk more.