Family Ties and Hurts

As most of you know I had to take an unexpected trip home this past month to take care of my mom as she has gotten quite ill. I used up my airmiles and we only have maybe enough to make one more trip to Sask...which would be ok if we had only one more to take this year but we don't. Here is our agenda for the next 6 months
-Keith's dad 80th birthday celebration May long weekend in Saskatoon
-one of our nephew's wedding July 30th in Saskatoon
-our "goddaughter's" wedding Sept 18th in Saskatoon.

Not to mention keith's last natural aunt is on palliative care in AB right now and I spoke to his uncle very very early this morning and it just days or even hours at this point. She is on palliative care at the hospital and are only trying to keep her comfortable as possible.

Our oldest nephew's wife (on Keith's side) is also on palliative care with her cancer so we know her time left on earth is limited.

In an ideal world we would be able to fly back for all these planned AND unplanned events this year but with Keith not working since October, no matter what we choose to attend someone in our family will be chocked and hurt that we are not going to be at "theirs". I was told I needed to set priorities, that by doing that I can make the decision on what we are going to do. I probably will have to go back to mom's once we know the results of the angiogram, To be my priority is to our parents, At both being 80 and 81. I don't know how much time is left with either of them. With Keith's dad losing his only brother less then a year ago this will be very hard on him saying goodbye to his only sister now.

In an ideal world, we would have unlimited financial funds to pay a thousand dollars to fly back there 6 more times in the next 6 months but at only getting 70% of his wage from WBC and having to pay deductions on back amounts on top of that as we only just found out on the weekend we would have to pay this, and as we do not use our credit cards except for emergencies, we don't even collect airmiles fast enough to be able to use them.

No matter how we decide this, we will be hurting a few people and it could cause irreversible damage.