Her vaccinated caregiver tested positive two and a half weeks ago. The only reason she tested is because my Mom was supposed to go to a church thing. So, my Mom and her caregiver didn't go.
Enter the COVID Christmas hysteria.
One of my siblings then decided that my mother, who had a runny nose, had to get tested. She tested positive. Then said sibling decided not only that my mom couldn't go to the extended family Christmas even "five days after she was asymptomatic wearing a mask" which is apparently the new bullshit rule. AND, that no one should have direct contact with her. AND, that anyone that did have direct contact with shouldn't go to extended family Christmas either, even if they tested negative. So I was banished, and adult children that flew into to town for Christmas were banished. Not because they were with my Mom. Because they were with me, who was with my mom, who was barely sick, and clearly not sick enough to get me sick.
It was awful and I don't think the rift will be healed anytime soon. I became persona non grata because I decided to take my chances so as not to isolate a little old lady at Christmas. The irony? I (unvaccinated) took some MMS and didn't get sick notwithstanding that I have been with my mom every day since. Prolly because unvaccinated people exposed to a real virus then thave broad based immunity - something everyone in the world used to know.
So, my unvaccinated mom was less sick than the vaccinated and boosted caregiver that got her sick in the first place, and I wasn't sick at all. Yet we are the problem. The good news is my elderly mom will probably never get it again. The bad news is she was heartbroken at Christmas, and she probably does not have a lot of Christmas's left.
Do not allow yourself to dwell on it all for long, sometimes it is better to shake it off for your mother's sake let the rift fade as quickly and quietly as possible so she can spend her remaining years without the angst of family. I think you did the right thing and used your time to be with mom, it is your family members who are living life in fear of the sniffles that will have to deal with guild because of their behavior later, not you. My mom's last couple of months brought us siblings together in a way that we had not experienced for years. It took any and all pressure off Mom's shoulders and conscious just to see us working together and planning life out, moms tend to feel as if they are the ones to need to handle everything family related even for their adult children. heh. One of my sisters was sick yesterday when I stopped in to give siblings presents, she came in said she was sick so I threw up my hands and waved them wildly as if fighting off any germs that might be heading my direction since she dared enter the room with her sickness... she threw a pillow at me, giggle coughed and retreated back into her room. heh heh. Yes, we are much closer, sorta like when we were kids now, its great!
That would be so nice. I am the middle girl and my older and younger sister don't get along. It's mostly because my older sister has an axe to grind of some sort, which no one really understands. They are very different people but while the younger is okay with live and let live, the older not so much. It's been a struggle for over a decade. It makes my mom, who was an only child, feel like she did something wrong. I keep telling her people make their own choices. We'll see. This last go around I have to say left me pretty disgusted. You can shit on us, but not mom. That's how I feel right now anyway.
I have always been the mediator, center of my siblings as well, the calm link between, still am. Lost our older sis a year before mom, then a week later my youngest sis lost her bf to an overdose then a year later mom. 2021 and 22 were rough for us. We remaining have gotten closer as I have said but, there still a bit of a struggle from time to time since, my remaining siblings live together at the old house. I am the only one who is not so, I get the occasional phone call where I find myself going over to "sort something out" lol but, much love there even so, just a lot of stress to get through, as you can imagine with all the losses and adapting to new roles and responsibilities all the while the economy is so crappy. Keep up the good work fren!
Thanks and good luck to you too!