Could Get Nasty…

September 12, 2022 – …things could get nasty now in the aftermath of mama’s passing. Heck, in my opinion it has been nasty since 2012.

About mid-July I discovered probate records had been updated on mama’s estate and it included a claim against my(our) brother, brought on by my sister. Then, a few days later, I discovered another lawsuit, brought on by my sister & her daughter, in civil court, against my(our) brother for ‘fraud’.

To me – that is nothing more than a receipe for disaster. I wasn’t mentioned in anything and though I didn’t want to be tangled in a stupid fight, I didn’t appreciate that it appeared I was non-existant. So, I sent in my own statement. I didn’t have an attorney, not that I hadn’t been searching since December, but I knew I could submit my own statement to the case. I hoped that would be enough to pursuade a judge, litigators, or the court, without having to make this go any deeper into litigation. Not that I really know where the litigation will go, but I have heard of so many probate cases are tied up for years. Mama and daddy don’t deserve to be remembered in a court battle among their children. Mama deserves to have justice for the way she was alienated before her death. I firmly believe she would still be here today if things had gone the way they should have gone when it came to her healthcare.

A few days after my statement was received, and submitted into record, I saw my brother’s answer to the claim. I had also sent my statement to my sister’s attorney, so when she finally called me. I had also texted her the day I found the claim yet it took her a while to reach out to me, because “she had to consult with her attorney first”. I rarely get offended, but yeah, I was a bit offended by that statement. I mean, since when did she need an attorney to allow her to talk to me? Anyway….she reached out to me, that is what matters. She mentioned that her attorney(s) got my statement – no shocker there. The call was short, considering the circumstances. We didn’t really have any warm and fuzzy feelings between us when we hung up. That hurts a lot. I told her then and I say it now, there will NEVER be any sort of positive relationship amongst us siblings in any combination after all of this. Daddy would be so ashamed of us. Sadly, truth be told, mama is loving the fact that we are all divided and fighting over her. She wouldn’t have it any other way and admitting that is a very, very sad reality.

A few weeks after our discussion, I got a summons from my sister’s attorney. The claim had been amended to include me as a co-respondent. I had 30-days to respond. I didn’t like the implications of being a respondent in this situation because I certainly hadn’t done anything to bring any harm to mama or take from her estate. I certainly didn’t have any knowledge of how my(our) brother was handling things. I had to find an attorney. Those 30-days passed quickly and I spent many of them trying to find legal cousel. I wasn’t successful, so 4 days before the deadline, I put the final touches on my answer to this claim and sent it in to probate and the attorney’s on both sides. Now, I am waiting to see if probate accepts it into record.

No idea what is to happen – next. What I do know is, this is – NOT – the way daddy would have wanted us to handle things in his absence. Both of my siblings should know better than to have let things get this far out of hand.

What I have learned is this, plain and simple, when you hold onto a lot of anomosity, greed will take over and lead you down a path of distruction faster than a run-away freight train. If you cannot or do not stop that freight train, it will do irreparable damage to things (or people) you love or may need in life. We cannot go through life holding on to the hurt others put upon us waiting for revenge. It is not worth it. If either of my siblings had taken the opportunity all these years to open their minds and see the reality that was our life, they too would have seen that I am not all the things they were led to believe all these years. I am not without my own faults, nor are they. I never believed anything I was told all those years, I formed my own opinion based on their actions and never stopped loving my siblings (and parents) faults and all, even the things I didn’t/don’t know about. I honestly hurt every day knowing that I no longer have a sibling in my life.