Feuds

[EnchantedSLN]

I don't think I have any feuds.

There are a lot in my family though. My grandmother's brother died several years ago, and his children had him cremated and spread his ashes according to his final wishes. In the Jewish faith, you're not supposed to do this. So, my grandmother was very upset about it and saw it as a slap in the face to her brother's life and religion, even though it was apparently what he wanted. She cut all ties with them and has refused to acknowledge them as part of our family ever since. She has Alzheimer's now and can't remember much of anything anymore, but she still remembers that she hates them all . (She also blamed his death on them, to an extent. He died of a cocaine overdose and she felt it was their fault for not getting their father the help he needed before it was too late.)

One of my grandmother's sisters, Vicki, was killed under mysterious circumstances about 15 years ago. The investigation never led anywhere, but my family is convinced the man she was living with at the time had something to do with it. There was a fair amount of money involved. Her daughter seemed to know some details that she wasn't giving up, so she has subsequently been excluded from the family too.

Also, we used to be really close to one of my mother's cousins... when my parents got divorced and my mom & I had to make an unexpected move across the country (abusive situation, big mess), she allowed us to live in one of their homes (yes, plural) in Scottsdale for 1 year so that my mom could get on her feet somewhere where my dad wouldn't think to look, and then permanently move to California where most of her family was. Her cousin even came out and stayed with us for about 4 months of that year to show my mom around and help her find a new job and get me in school and stuff. When we moved out at the end of that year, the cousin's husband said some really unsavory stuff to my mom (about how he didn't know why they were helping his wife's trashy family blah blah blah). Said cousin didn't say a word in defense of us, so that was a sore spot between her & my mom for a long time. It irked me because she was like an aunt to me and while I was naturally defensive of my mom, she had always been good to me & I didn't want to completely lose touch with her. This was a long time ago and things have simmered down a bit... I've visited her numerous times over the years and her and my mom are on civil terms, but they'll never be real close again.

Wait, was that my family or a synopsis for a Lifetime movie marathon?

[darklinensuit]

Originally Posted by EnchantedSLN

One of my grandmother's sisters, Vicki, was killed under mysterious circumstances about 15 years ago. The investigation never led anywhere, but my family is convinced the man she was living with at the time had something to do with it. There was a fair amount of money involved. Her daughter seemed to know some details that she wasn't giving up, so she has subsequently been excluded from the family too.

It's so nice when money strengthens family ties, isn't it?
My mother's two sisters fought over my grandmother's diamond ring and her fair coat.
The older sister got (took) the ring, though she & her mother hadn't spoken for years. The younger sister was the only one to have kept contact with my grandmother, so my mother said to let her have it. The older sister didn't comply.
In terms of the mink, all three sisters wanted it. It was too small on the oldest sister, too big on the youngest sister, and fit my mom perfectly. The oldest sister took it.
I am proud to say that my mother got past these petty issues and found more important reasons not to talk to either sister years later.

- Jake