Jeanne PhillipsDEAR ABBY: I have three sisters who won’t come to visit me. I am older and their only brother. We are all in our 50s. We all get along great and have no issues.
Seven years ago, I moved away from our hometown in Pennsylvania and bought houses in vacation towns in Colorado and Arizona. I would never see my sisters if I didn’t make the trip back home. The problem is, I have an injury that makes traveling very difficult.
Over the last seven years, I have gone back twice. I have offered to pay gas or airfare for them if they’ll come visit me, but they always refuse. I have now given up and quit offering.
They are able to travel to see each other on occasion, but not me. I know they enjoy my company as we go jeeping and kayaking, etc. Their kids love me. It’s a shame I may never see them again. What should I do? – BAFFLED BROTHER IN PHOENIX
DEAR BROTHER: I agree it’s a shame their reluctance to come to you may mean that you won’t see them again. I think the time has come to ask your sisters to level with you about why they manage to visit one another but won’t do the same for you. When you do, “remind” them that although you love them, your health no longer permits you to do all the traveling.