Well, it seems my uncle is doing his best to shred those loyalties in his haste to advance his own sons. (Rumour has it that the widow specifically asked that they not be allowed to carry Butch's casket--which helps explain how my wheezing uncles got pressed into service.) They've already driven out two of my other uncles. One of these took payment in equity during years when Grandpa couldn't afford to pay him a salary and now my cousins have been needling other relatives to get him to "let go of some of that stock". You can see where bunj's bitterness comes from.

Recently, the father of an NRI friend of mine died and it was heartbreaking to see her come to the conclusion that she simply couldn't take time off at this juncture to attend the funeral. Mom was fortunate in that she was able to move back to St Louis in time to be with her mother back when it still mattered. My sister has her eye on her and I'm ready to fly down at a moment's notice to help her out.