Mama Bear Claws

I am so mad at my sister-in-law that I don't think it would be wise for me to even attempt speaking to her for several months. I'm really pretty darned sure that she coached her two daughters (ages 7&9) to ignore Stefanie. The last time they were together was about a month ago at Grandpop's house. SIL wasn't along for that trip and the girls all played together very nicely. This past Sunday, we were all together before the circus that Grandpop was taking us to and not only did SIL completely ignore Stef, but the girls did too. They didn't even say Hi to her. At one point, the girls were playing the "hand sandwich" game and Stef very timidly tried to be included, putting her little hands at the edge of the table they were playing on. Instead of adding Stef's hands to the pile, they moved their game further away where Stef couldn't reach. The hurt look in Stef's eyes was too much for me. I know it's just the first of many hurts she will have but I really had hoped she wouldn't have to worry about being hurt like that by her own family. What a bitch! Steve told me that while I was in the bathroom with Stef, one of the girls asked "So, we're all Jones's here?" Her mother said "Yes. Daddy and Uncle Steve and Grandpop are all Jones's . You two are Jones's. I'm a Jones by marriage. And Aunt Terri and Stefanie are Jones's by marriage". WTF!?! Stef is only a Jones by marriage??? (last names changed to protect against google searches)

I've been stewing about this for 3 days now. My sister has helped me get over it with the following: Wow, what a bitch. It must suck to be that miserable all the time. It's GOT to suck to be her and she has to be with herself 24/7.

On to a more serious note: My FIL had a toumour in his bladder checked out yesterday. The doc is pretty sure it's malignent. He has to go back next month for more tests and another surgery. He's pretty upset (understandably) and could use all the extra prayers he can get. More on that as I know more.