Am I a shit? Or what would you do? In the summer of 2023, my sister told us she had uterine cancer. We drove up to

[radical noodle]

33. My dear debm55

Sweetheart, you need a break from these people. They are your "family" by blood but apparently they are not emotionally connected to you and never consider you unless they need you.

I think you should stop spending a dime on them and spend your money on a therapist to try to get them out of your head (if that seems like a good idea to you).

As for the card, I believe I'd put it in the trash, dust off my hands, and be done with all of it. Cherish your good relationships. No one needs or deserves this sort of abuse, particularly from so-called family.

While I'm here, I'm going to leave you a poem that has helped me many times through the years:

She Let Go

She let go. Without a thought or word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the "right" reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn't ask anyone for advice. She didn't read a book on how to let go. She didn't search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all the memories that held her back. She let go of all the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn't promise to let go. She didn't journal about it. She didn't write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn't check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn't analyze whether she should let go. She didn't call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn't do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn't call the prayer line. She didn't utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn't good and it wasn't bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forever more."

-- Ernest Holmes

We're all here for you!