Dealing With Cold and Distant Family Members?

I'm so hurt about my family. My estranged mother, along with two adult nieces came back into my life last year after my brother died; he wouldn't let me see his kids for years. He was angry, because I cut my abusive mother out of my life. They were close.

At first, having them back in my life was wonderful, healing. We spent Christmas together and had fun. But after the holidays, my mother and oldest niece became cool and distant, they had lost interest in having a relationship with me. This left me depressed for months after Christmas last year.

This year was even worse. My oldest niece will have nothing to do with me now, she even removed me from her Facebook friend list. I think my toxic mother turned her against me. And yet, in the summer, I'd helped my niece when she was struggling financially, I had bought her groceries. Despite her aloofness, I sent her a Christmas gift anyway. She wrote and said, "I don't hate you either," which I thought was an odd message.

My narcissistic mother acted upset when I visited her a couple of days before Christmas to give her gifts. She also wouldn't let me take her out to dinner and hadn't for the past six months. Clearly, she didn't want to see me or my kids. Some young guy had moved into her apartment building, and she repeatedly said, "He's my son now", as if telling me that I'm no longer her daughter, that he's replacing me. He sat at her kitchen table just staring into space; -he struck me as creepy.

I can't even describe how hurt I was when I left her apartment. And, no, she doesn't have money so he's not after that.

Like last year, my mother didn't get me or my children gifts, and this year, she didn't even bother to call on Christmas. She doesn't care about me or my life. My husband doesn't think she ever did. Perhaps, he's right. She was always mentally and physically abusive to me.

I don't know what to do about my family or how to cope with this grief. I'm thinking it's time for me to weed these toxic family members out of my life again. What do you think?

At least my relationship with my youngest niece and her children has gotten much better since my brother's death. Still, I feel very lost, and this is often on my mind.