Have I Mentioned My Schedule is Crazy? Well - If Not, I'm Saying It Now!

All things seem to cluster together when least expected. I was driving to the Northern suburbs when I got a phone call. It was my treadmill company. They were in the area, and had a cancellation, and wondered if they could come over and replace/fix the item that was sticking out. Well ... under normal conditions I would have been jumping up and down, saying "Come on over". But ... I was on the road, ready to meet with my oldest niece for a nice lunch and long chat, and I couldn't make the time for the repair guys. 

Johnson Fitness have really been excellent in their 
service, it's my schedule that's been messing things 
up. After I sent the photos, they immediately sent 
the parts needed to be replaced and if I hadn't been 
meeting with Cat, I would have been at the house and my 
treadmill would already be fixed. 

As it turned out, when I returned home from my lunch, there was a large box at my front door from the treadmill company with the parts needed for my treadmill, and I now have an appointment scheduled with them for Wednesday ... altho as I look at my schedule for that day, I still may have to shift it again. *sigh* At least the treadmill still works, and I now know what the part is supposed to look like. I'll take photos tomorrow and maybe remember to post them on Monday. 

My oldest niece, Cat, is Ojibwan, from Northern 
Minnesota. As most of us in our families, she was 
adopted at a young age and raised elsewhere. I was 
also adopted, as was my husband, and of the eight 
kids in Cat's family, five of them were adopted. 

So, back to the focus - my meeting with my oldest niece, Cat. She started things out by bringing me as up to date as possible on the condition of my oldest nephew, Mike. He's been battling intestinal cancer for two years now, and it's not looking very positive at this point. Cat says he's barely eating, he's on constant high-grade pain meds, he's a total shadow of himself, and she doubts he'll make it through the summer, maybe even the next month. It's a tragedy for the entire family - his wife and daughter, as well as the other seven siblings in his family, me and DH, his Mom and other assorted relations. The ripple effect when he dies will be large, and it will leave Cat as the oldest member of that generation. 

My oldest nephew, Michael, has been fighting intestinal 
cancer for more than two years now. It's getting very bad. 
He's unable to eat anything, is in constant pain, and has 
wasted away to a shell of himself (according to Cat who 
drives over to see him regularly). It's terminal, no question. 
The only question is when he will give up fighting. 

I then went into what my personal dreams were - establishing a family trust that would be accessible by any of the eight kids (seven once Michael passes) and what my goals are/were for that fund. I wanted to know if there should be any exclusions (none, according to Cat), and whether she would be willing to step in as Trustee. She saw my dream and embraced it, is willing to act as Trustee, and will contact a friend of hers who is a Financial Planner to see if she would also help. I'm hoping this little dream of mine can become a reality and that lives will be enriched and, in some instances maybe even saved, as a result of this Fund. 

This is what I want to do with my personal funds - 
the funds I have left from what I got when I sold 
my Mother's condominium, as well as a bit of 
this and that. 

Of course, DH is super against my setting this up, doesn't agree with the concept of it, and truly, simply doesn't understand what I want to achieve with it. Eventually I'll try to set up a private meeting between my broker, the attorney, Cat and her Financial Advisor and pound out the details. I think it's a goal that's worth fighting for - a "Dreams Can Come True" slush fund for my nieces and nephews and for their kids as well. If it is managed well, it might trickle down one additional generation, but we're talking less than $1 million here - so substantial, but not earthshaking in scope. 

My personal funds are substantial, but hardly earthshaking. 
DH has much more than I do, which makes sense since 
I don't earn any money at all. *sigh* But, I do have some 
of my own, and I want it to go where I desire and help the 
people I want to help achieve their own personal goals. 

Then I went home and cooked which always makes me happy. I now have a refrigerator full of food, and I had a lovely lunch and chat with Cat - something that had been needed for a while. We've caught up here and there at family get-togethers, but with large groups like our family, there was no real time to discuss anything about life or dreams. I feel much better about my own dreams today than I did 24 hours ago. Have an excellent day, and try to see one of your own dreams come true today. Your heart will feel might lighter as a result. Slava Ukraini.