I have recently connected with my father's sister. She is 12 years older than me and studied with my mother for awhile. Never became a dub, thank heaven. She has had her problems, however, she is nice. It is great to find someone in my family that I feel I can trust. I have 8 cousins and 3 aunts on my mothers side who don't want any relationship because I am no longer a dub....(they think I am an apostate). I think it is their loss.
Anyway, you cannot pick your family. However, you do not have to put up with their crap or guilt trips.
You can walk away...LB has and my sister is dead to me. Many factors are involved with our estrangement, however, I feel better just knowing I do not have to endure emotional/verbal abuse.
I used to wish a worldly family my father knew through work would adopt me...I even used to wish my parents would die in a crash because I figured no family could be worse than mine was. I know that is wrong, however, it was a coping mechanism.