Friday was a busier day than usual for me, and I came in around suppertime mentally and physically exhausted. Pam, Jean, and I had a hard work-out at the gym in the pool, then I spent the afternoon with our attorney trying to remember the details of banking transactions of the past 5+ years, finalizing the petitions we need to file, and making sure every exhibit is accurate and complete. By the time I left I felt a little like Winnie the Pooh when he said, "I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me."
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Mother's financial affairs fell into my lap by default after it became clear that she wasn't able to keep up with it. Then after Mike had the stroke, I wasn't able to keep up with it very well either, but did manage to get her bills paid, keep her house rented, and get her qualified for Medicaid. Rather than filing everything neatly so that it would make sense later, I tossed everything into a file box so it wouldn't get lost. Those of you who know me well know that my talents are not in bookkeeping. I liked Sam Walton's ESP (error some place) method, even though his cushion and mine were in different leagues altogether.
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Finally, I had the pieces of about 5 different puzzles all jumbled together, and I've had to go back, try to sort them all into separate piles, arrange them chronologically, and with Roger's help, write a narrative about how and why we did what we did in a way that will satisfy the judge so we can finally get to the point of dividing the assets that are left. Reconstructing complete pictures of different bank accounts, CD's, IRA's, Stock, insurance and rental property was the nightmare I dreaded facing, but I did, and now it's 95% resolved. Thank the Lord, and Roger, hallelujah!
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My brother and sister were not involved enough to know the details of any of it. If I had dropped dead and they had had to pick up where I left off before yesterday, they would hate me for the rest of their natural lives, but now they will appreciate me and be dazzled by their sister's brilliance. God help me not to leave Ricky and Benji with such confusion and chaos.