You live in the same city as your family? At least, most of your family?
(I remembered you traveled for Thanksgiving) The horror!
Yes, most of the mean ones are miserably close, AND for a miserable reason... some are also on texas Gulf coast. My moms family are all in Canada, and yes my Aunt is in Colorado.
I only came back to take care of what my grandparents left my cousin, and myself when they passed away...
I was struggling in the city and at first it was a great relief, but my family made sure that was very short lived. Yeah wow, my Grandparents (who had a massive duty in my raising-as did my Aunt). They cut everyone else out, and left it all to the 2 "retards"... I don't think I ever felt REAL HATE until my family found out my grandparents did this.
There were people writing checks out of my grandparents bank account before they were in the ground. They were taking vehicles, farm equipment, furniture, you name it. It was a feeding frenzy of out right theft of money and property. It was the sickest display of how horrible humans can react when they feel cheated.
It's still a hell on earth, and also a massive responsibility. I take care of the land, keep it leased, and productive, and also work a massively tough full time job, that already has me driving a lot. Now I'm facing some very hard decisions on what I have to do, and how I can take care of all this from 1400 miles away.
I can do this, but I have to set up a lot of stuff, and be prepared to come back when there are problems. I also have some big hurdles with my inheritance and a failing marriage (whole different nightmare)...
NOW you know why I fall apart so hard. I have to be more than I can be about 90% of the time. I crash and burn because I literally run myself into the ground, not even counting how much the ASD knocks me back, where other people have extra energy.
So yes, I have a lot on my plate to lose, and also people who try and take it by force. However my grandparents were smart. They tied it ALL up in a Trust with 2 owners of which neither can sell out, unless we both agree to do so... Sounds easy, it's not, unless we want to get shot, not a joke.
Its not a mega empire or anything like that, but my grandparents built this business as young people in the middle of the depression... So I have a deep respect for how hard they had to work to even buy all the land and stuff in very hard times. I have to say I am grateful for what they left me (us), BUT I have people around me sabotaging and manipulating everything possible because of the disgust in what my grandparents did, and who they showed they really loved... That's cool, unless you have to live a day in my shoes. Then, not so much.
My aunt just couldn't stand the drama, fighting, and back biting anymore. She and my cousin moved away from this garbage to Colorado. She re-married, and married a worse monster than my uncle is... who is basically a solid obstacle for me every minute of everyday. He used too basically take care of me a lot. When my grandparents passed, he hated them and us for their decision and he is not even an heir. He's only my uncle by marriage, my blood aunts ex-husband but my cousins dad. My also cousin drives back and fourth a couple times a month, or at least once a month, but that's because I am here. What about when both of us are not here? wow... My pivotal stumbling block.
Its honestly not near the gift my grandparents thought it would be, because of all the angst it created. I learned so much from this experience... One, NEVER single people out when I die. Two, NEVER verbally leave my real negative opinions of people in my will and testament. It was awful, but my grandparents stayed quiet until after they were gone... My grandparents had some tough things they wanted some people to know DEEPLY... However, it didn't fix them, it made them worse. My dad (who has never really cared for me) was one of those people... Not good.
I could probably make a good movie out of this nightmare. : )
