I have seen so many family situations strained over money issues. I was lucky-- my family (at least on my mom's side) was ALWAYS generous, the "give you the shirt off my back" types. That's how I grew up thinking. If I have enough and you need some, it's yours. My dad came from a very different family-- if grandma was having company, you can be sure there were just enough pieces of lunch meat and bread to make exactly one thin sandwich per person. My mom managed to affect my dad's sense of $$...

My mom and I were just talking about grief last night b/c I'm so upset over my young cousin (she's my age and has a great husband and two little kids) who's seemingly losing her battle with cancer (a metasticized melanoma). Things NOT to Say to a Grieving Friend/Relative (and, yes, these are things people REALLY did say): (1) It's been ___ years/months, and you need to move on. I don't care how many DECADES it's been, one has no place giving this ignorant "advice" to someone else. (...