I spent today being part of something that I never thought I would be a part of. My parents who are 78 and 77 years old have never been money managers. Throughout my life they have always lived well but never saved anything and consequently at this late age have nothing more than social security to live on. Throughout the years my mother who has managed the money, used credit cards for "a cushion" and they have acquired almost $20K in debt. Now finding that my father cannot work anymore, which he has done up until last September they find themselves confused and dazed as to what happened? How did this happen? And when did they get old? There was no plan. I am an only child, all my life I wanted a brother, never happened. I'm firmly convinced that my mother didn't want me. In her heart I think she loves me but she did not want me. So I come to the place in this journey with them that I am now becoming the parent to them. Not that I didn't expect that, I've watched other people's parents age and seen them become who I am now and it was not unexpected. I've worked in nursing and in long term care and hospice long enough to know what happens, how to look for the signs of Alzheimer's, how to be supportive, how to handle physical pain and ask for the right medicines, all of the things that go along with aging. It's not that it's different than I expected, I'm just kind of caught up in the sadness of it and trying to protect myself and keep my sanity, but I digress.... We spent the morning in the office of a bankruptcy attorney. Finding themselves in the position of not being able to pay their bills anymore and not knowing what to do we have decided that bankruptcy is the way to solve at least some of the problems. Again, I never thought I would be here, I don't know where I thought I would be.....but it wasn't here. Thank God for quilting, at least some of the sadness goes away when I create. Thanks for listening.