My father's mother was a very controlling woman. She even tried to control the family from her grave! My grandmother told my father in the 80s, "When I pass away, you should get a new car." My father said, "I can afford a new car, but I think I will buy a van instead." She asked how much they cost. My father told her what he estimated a van would cost. Nothing more was said.

Daddy didn't know what had transpired until a year later after his mother had passed away. Before passing, Grandma called her other son, the one everyone said was her favorite, and said, "Your brother's going to use my money to buy a van! That's too much money, so take his name off of my bank account." My father was very hurt when he found out what they had done. Daddy thought about suing his brother. It's just as well he didn't, because Daddy passed away soon after. After Daddy's funeral, I never saw his brother again before his passing in the 90s.

Years pass and I tell my mother about a photo of my dad that I wished I had. My mother mailed her sister-in-law a note about the photo. A few weeks went by and she hadn't heard anything, so she called. My aunt was nice and said, "I can't find it, but if you want to come over, we can look for it together." Well, what do you know? Mother goes over to her house and spends the day. They go out to lunch. Yes, they found the prized photo! When my cousins are in town, my aunt calls me to come over. We had a lot of catching up to do after thirty years. Recently, I learned that I have a blood cancer. My cousin called me and said, "Hey, if you need a bone marrow transplant and I'm a match, you can have my bone marrow!" He said it like he was offering my his lawn chair for the weekend. Forgiveness and reconciliation feel good.