Mother and I spoke multiple times a day, so I knew when she had good and bad days. Her doctor's visits were increasing and eventually, she had to completely stop working. I tried speaking with my siblings once more about helping me pay her bills and to make sure she had all she needed, but it was pointless. Not only would they not help, but they said, "Don't worry, Shannon will get tired of taking care of her." As to say, I would see her as a burden the way they did.
While taking care of mother in California, my daughter was preparing to go to university in Georgia. She was so excited. She was ready to live on campus, meet new friends, and "be grown." As happy as I was for her, all I could think about was the cost. How would I pay for my bills, mother's bills, and my daughter's tuition and room and board? Somehow I did it for several months, but eventually, I would have to call mother to see if any other resources could help with the rent. Of course, there weren't. I asked her if she would like to move to Georgia to live with me. She said she couldn't and that it would be too expensive for me. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but I would later find out.
I called my siblings to let them know it was time for them to help since my daughter was now in university and I couldn't do it on my own. Neither of them budged, instead one said, "Shannon, she'll figure it out. You need to focus on your family." I couldn't believe it. At the time I had one brother with a five-bedroom home, another with a four-bedroom, and one with a two-bedroom. Not to mention she had brothers and sisters with homes, and neither opened their doors to her.
Mother called me one day to say she found a place to live that was substantially cheaper than her apartment. I was so relieved, well, that was until I found out it was a shelter. She didn't tell me at first because she didn't want me to worry. It wasn't until one day the owner of the facility was struggling with legal documents they had to complete for compliance and mother said, "I'll call my daughter, she may know the answer."
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