So the family came crashing down. I can't say that I am terribly surprised. My extended family is  not what I would describe as dysfunctional, that is, until recently. It seems I am to blame, I am the moron who threw a wrench into the cogs. Shame on me.

It all started on Veteran's Day, when my sister posted a thank you on Facebook to our relatives who have served our country. Our family has a very rich military history, and my sister accidentally neglected to mention our Auntie's husband in her list. In my sister's defense, neither of us can remember seeing our uncle in uniform, and her thank you list was nowhere near complete. Auntie took it personally, and lit into my poor sister. My sis is in a bit of a fragile emotional state of late, mostly due to her husband serving a tour in the sandbox.

Now, this Auntie has always been allowed to behave like a jerk. She demands that the spotlight be focused on her at all times. At my son's graduation, my own mother told me to be sure to take plenty of photos of Auntie, or her feelings will be hurt. After the festivities, my mother then told me that I need to get my teenage daughter into counseling. It seems that since my daughter shrunk away from Auntie's embrace, Auntie is convinced that my daughter was molested. No, my daughter was never molested. She just does not enjoy the crushing, heavily perfumed embrace of a loud bossy woman whom she hardly knows. I can't say as I blame her.

My grandmother is getting on in years, and she is preparing for the inevitable by giving away many of the family's heirlooms. Auntie was the only one of Grandma's five kids who made a list, collected what she wanted, and then cherry picked the rest. Now I don't get me wrong, I want none of it. Material goods mean very little to me. I will not ask for anything. It's not who I am.

I have never been like the rest of this side of my family. I cannot plaster on a fake smile and dish out delicate little double faced barbs, then turn around and tear them apart behind their back. In fact, everyone seems to have a "Jennie Story" that illustrates my boldness, stubbornness, or temper.  I cannot play the games they play.

So this is the protocol. Auntie behaves like a spoiled primadonna, and everyone just accepts it. We are then expected to comfort Auntie for the "wounds" inflicted against her. Only after that we are permitted to whisper and bitch about Auntie behind her back.

Yes you guessed it, I called out Auntie on her boorish facebook behavior. OH MY GOD. All hell broke loose. She has since removed me and my brother from her friends list, and has blocked me. An uncle has chastised me, saying that I had no right to be upset about anything, because his wife is only 44 years old, and due to her crippling illnesses, she is now in a nursing home, and may never get out of bed again. I am very sorry for the horrible things he and his lovely wife are going through, but one has not to do with the other. No one has the corner on misfortune and suffering.

Life is too short for this bullshit. Love me the way I am, or don't talk to me. I would hope that if you do love me, you will call me out when I am acting a fool.