Q4 2025 Family Support Plan

4:09 PM Friday. I am tired and feel as if I am running behind, which is a chronic problem for me, but the more realistic and optimistic truth is that I have more energy on this Friday afternoon than I normally do, and I am caught up enough with everything else to actually use this part of my weekly horarium for its intended purpose: thinking deeply and proactively about the projects in my Family Support role. It's been six months since I published Introduction for My Mother's Two Other Children back at the beginning of April 2025. During this period, I've had some good telephone, email and text conversations with my sister Kara (now in Florida) and my brother Daniel (in Washington). My brother Jeff and his wife Candy visited us here in upstate New York (from Kentucky) for an excellent week of connection at the end of August. I've been transparent about my religious discernment, and everyone has been very supportive. My mom and I have navigated the ups and downs of another spring and summer. October will be busy with some important medical appointments, my mom's birthday, and a half-day trip to Indian Ladder Farms and Thacher State Park. Our Friday mornings are usually spent running errands together. It probably won't be until November, then, that I am able to attempt any heavy emotional lifting with my "Mom Caresharing" file. This is the file where I try to systematically attend to all of the practicalities associated with my mom's end-of-life plans, needs, and decisions. 

Helpfully accompanying my mom through another season is my primary goal this quarter. Getting my "Mom Caresharing" file more in order and better developed is my secondary goal. Meaningfully connecting with my siblings, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a tertiary goal. I don't see how I will have time to do any work on my other Family Support projects (Dad's Legacy, Family Tree, and Letters to Future Generations) over the next few months, so I am not setting Q4 goals for any of these.

I have a book called ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Caregivers: A Guide to Making It Manageable that I got for Kindle last November. I made some good progress with at first, and then I lost all of my momentum in the spring. Maybe it was just a seasonal issue. Maybe this is work that is best done from December to February. I am not sure. I could be making an excuse. I think my safest bet is to schedule QII Family Support office time in my calendar from 3-5 PM every Friday afternoon this quarter. Okay, done. Let's see how it goes.