How the Love of Money can Change a Person
My aunt, who is the ill elderly relative that I've been helping out when I liquidated much of my crypto, asked me to come by for a meeting yesterday.
I was worried it was about her health, but it was to inform me that she was making a change to her will and leaving the entirety of her estate to my wicked, greedy and drug addicted, younger sister.
Here's a little slice of how drugs can destroy a person.
When I was 10, me and my OLDER (also now drug-addicted) sister, were called into a secret meeting by this same aunt. She wasn't able to have children, so sort of adopted us in a way (sorta kinda). She was originally going to be my mother and my mother was going to pretend to be my aunt, as adoption papers were going to be signed due to the controversy with my mother having given birth to a SECOND illegitimate child.
I've shared that the church and society in my grandmothers neighborhood was willing to forgive ONE out-of-wedlock birth as a pregnant girl making her one-allowed mistake. But when my mom, ever the rebel, gave birth to me the following year from a DIFFERENT man, all hell broke lose with my grandmother catching hell from the "pastor" for not keeping her wild daughter under control.
I told you how grandmom was first ordered to give up her coveted seat in the front of the church and ordered to sit in the back, in front of the entire congregation. Not humiliated enough, the pastor then banished her from the church altogether during the big Sunday service.
In this specific denomination of Christianity, thy believe in "shunning" people who are seen as violating the norms of church society. Thus my beloved grandmother was thrown out of the church that she loved due to the sin of her daughter.
This is why mom was going to put me up for adoption hoping that such an act would relive the pressure on my grandmother. But grandmom stepped in and blocked her from giving me up first to a stranger, and then blocked my transfer to my aunt.
Got it? Just setting the scene here as to why me and my aunt became so close.
But not close enough apparently, as you'll see later on in this post.
So back to me at 10 with my older sister at the meeting with my aunt...
She owned some properties, including the house that my grandmother lived in. They wanted to leave the homes to us, and gave us a choice as to who wanted what. Since sis was older, she got to pick first. She chose my grandmothers haunted old house, which had a cross on the wall in every room to help ward off the ghosts that seemed to think the place belonged to them.
Believe me, I was only too happy she chose that house, as I was terrified to sleep there with all the "invisible people" that could be heard walking up and down the stairs all night.
Bullet dodged! lol!
That left me with my aunts house, and this was a well-guarded secret until my mom let it slip one day in front of my YOUNGER sister. You know, the greedy one.
The one with "middle child" syndrone.
She always HATED my aunt, but once she found out, she started a charm offensive in order to steal the promised home from me. Auntie started telling me about how the drug addict SUDDENLY began calling her and inviting herself over. I didn't know about her drug use at the time, but eventually found out.
She was making her move...
As you know, addicts never have enough money, with their addiction eating up a larger and larger slice of their earnings over time.
This was happening to her...
Me and another relative met with my aunt to explain to her what was happening. Sis was doing everything she could to worm her way into my aunts life. Since I didn't have a car, she was the one who drover to to appointments, and took her to have important papers signed. That kind of thing. She did little things for her around the house while I worked weeding the garden, taking the trash out etc, for free.
So now you have the background whose dealing with a slight bit of dementia, informed me that she leave my promised inheritance of her home and estate to my sister.
Trust me, it was never about the money for me in the first place. I would have grown up thinking that this amazing woman was my mother, while my biological mom was my aunt.
I believe God spoke to my heart in that moment to show complete grace which is exactly what I did. She said it was because my sister drove her around more as I lacked a car. I smiled and hugged her, and told her that whatever she wanted to do with her property was fine with me. Its the only way I could have responded.
I'm wired for decency.
Other family members were outraged, as I'd assisted her for years and years alone before the drug addict found out about the secret and started showing up.
We all know what's going to happen when my aunt passes. The druggie will sell everything, and then go on a long drug binge with her friends until the money runs out.
But me, I'm at peace, and of course will continue assisting my childless aunt, because it's the right thing to do. This is an interesting life lesson in how a once selfless sister can have her mind warped and personality completely changed by drugs. The Bible saying that the love of money being the root of all evil, couldn't be truer in this case. However, there's also the promise that those of us who assist even the least of them, will receive a different and everlasting reward in a time to come. :)
I have two siblings that have thrown their lives away on hard drug use. It is so heart-wrenching and impossible for me to explain without it sounding like some fickle platitude... but I feel the pain in your words!
I know you do not need me to tell you it... because obviously you have already told yourself... but: Good on you for coming to terms with it all the way that you have. That kind of conniving is so wretched to witness being done to someone who is loved.
Thank you for your kind words. She is the grande dame of the family, and since her husband passed years ago, she's all alone, and I'm the only one who does the yardwork and such without charging her a dime.
My sister was once selfless, but is unrecognizable now. The whole family is addicted and dysfunctional, leaving me as the responsible one at home.
My lack of a car is what hurt me and gave my sister the opening she needed. She offered to drive aunt around to appointments, to pay her taxes etc. She was working her HARD!
Even though she's always hated the woman.
At one point in yesterdays conversation, she mused about splitting the estate (that was intended just for me), with both of us. But I wanted to keep the house and preserve my uncles vast model plane and cars collection as well as his ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE! HO train setup in the basement, as well as using it as a place of refuge for family and friends needing a place to stay. But I knew my sister would want to sell everything in order to feed her addiction.
Everything happens for a reason. But what I'm most happy about is that I headed off any feelings of guilt on the part of my awesome aunt, lifting any weights from her shoulders, and leaving her in peace. She deserves nothing less. After all, its her house. :)
Well, off to bed, I feel one of my extended writing breaks coming on, so we'll see how I respond to it. No use doing all this writing just for Google! :)
Yay! 🤗
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Is the drug use and greed a symptom of a deeper problem?
I don't know. She's always been bossy, greedy, and selfish, but the drugs have made it far worse. As the middle child (out of 5), she didn't have the leadership roles that the elder two of us had, nor the being fussed over that the younger two enjoyed. So I always wondered if that was the seed that sprouted into the weed that she currently grew into.