I sent this email to my mom’s friend from her church. This kind woman did just about everything she could over the last two or three years of my mom’s life to try to help her get organized, to try to help her get back on her feet. She took her grocery shopping and to […]
Here is an exchange between me and mom’s good friend from her church, who spent an extraordinary amount of time working to help mom with all manner of things. I was doing my best to manage mom’s finances at the time, but since she had no income and wasn’t ever checking her mail, it was […]
Mom started really complaining about her memory at least two or three years before she died. I sent her this email one day, because I was convinced that it was something that was temporary: It turns out a little positive reinforcement won’t just help kids do better in school, it can help older adults do […]
Mom got in a car accident in October of 2009 and for some reason the guy she hit — or who hit her, I was never sure of exactly what happened — kept contacting her directly instead of going through their insurance companies. She asked me to help her deal with it because he was […]
March 6, 2010 Imagine we’re in a completely new cycle. I have a beautiful dog and a silly black cat. I’ve reconnected with Cricket and Gary, and I hope to see them soon. again. Kathleen A. Gagne This is the last entry mom wrote in her “Letters to Mom” journal. It’s the only entry without […]
Mom was having a really hard time dealing with her financial situation by the beginning of 2010. She was paralyzed with fear about going bankrupt and had already been forced to move into an apartment after the bank foreclosed on her house. She would go for weeks without opening her mail and then be surprised […]
Here is a rather long email I sent to my mom to try to summarize her (pretty dire) financial situation at the beginning of 2010: Mom, Your Best Buy credit card is now completely paid off. If you get any more bills from them, please let me know. When you get the next statement from […]
Dear Mom, I wish that I could understand why life gets so screwed up. Somehow, I’m sitting in a rented condo, watching CSI. I’m still alone. Jen is in Seattle and David is still in Los Angeles. [Redacted] and David are very happy. Soon they will be presenting you with a great grandchild. I’m very […]
I found an email that mom sent to my sister regarding me. The subject line was “Jen, Have you talked to David lately?” Mom wrote: Dear Jen, David told me yesterday that he was going to divert all of my mail to his address. He really has no right to do so. I know he’s […]
I found this email in my mom’s “Drafts” folder. It’s an email she never sent to me, from late January of 2010: David, We/I only have until February 2 to declare whether I stay in this unit or try to find a smaller place to live in. I honestly don’t think that I can move […]