Hello my friend! It's your 64th birthday in heaven, and I got a DM from your brother BJ begging for money to help your brother Michael, which is ironic, considering that Michael has many more brothers and sister than I have, and, I gather his children are grown up, too.
Meanwhile, my husband is dying of kidney disease and liver disease due to alcoholism, and he's been in the hospital 17 times in the past 18 months, and he's had physical therapy, and doctors appointments and he goes to dialysis 3 times a week, so what Medicare doesn't pay for we're supposed to find the money for on ONE income, Jim's social security, half of which he spends on take out and booze for himself. If it weren't for our son Nick helping with the bills and groceries, we'd be out on the streets and starving, as well as going without the medications that keep us alive.
So we have no money to spare, and I had to explain this to BJ, who said he'd fill me in later on all that is going on. While I appreciate that, I've only met Michael once, at your funeral, and the only other people in your family that I know were your mom, who has passed on, and BJ, who rarely contacts me. But I do wish the rest of your siblings well, and I hope that you and your wonderful mom are looking down at all of them and hopefully helping them in this time of crisis.
Also, I still live in Washington state, which is a long way from Iowa, where my mother is going to turn 88 in October and my brother turns 62 next month. Kevin still hates me, but he does help mom with things like groceries and doctors appointments, (mom is expected to live on a thousand dollars a month from social security, most of which goes to her rent) and mom is still going strong, though her arthritis puts her in pain most of the time. My dad passed in 2019, and, as you know, my older brother passed in the 90s from the complications of Type 1 diabetes. My dads side of the family are not good people, (with the exception of my cousins Julie and Joe) and my uncle on my moms side is dying of dementia, and he never had children. Both sets of grandparents are dead and gone...so I don't really have family support of any kind.
My friend Roger whom I've known since I was 14, is still in contact with me via emails from Iowa, but once you were gone, much of my support went with you, unfortunately. I still miss you all the time, though you've been gone for 18 years now.
Here's a link to that song that you loved by Mr Mister. Kyrie Eleison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DESeq1QY4Vg
