I think it's taboo to gossip about one's own family - especially in Asian culture. But I'm just so irritated with them. I'm sad to say that jelly has caused a rift in my family's relations.
My grandmother is convinced she is going to die very soon. Because of her imminent death, she spends a marathon weekend cooking up her "last" batch of strawberry preserves. She gives numerous jars to my mother with specific instructions on how to dole these out to us kids. She then grows increasingly concerned that her grandchildren, me in particular, will liberally give them away. She may have forgotten to mention that they need to be preserved-in-the-family preserves. I think she struggles with this and in the end tells herself one thing and my mom another. She is upset to find that my mom did not give me enough of the allocation. My mom (also a severe diabetic), is a jelly thief and can no longer be trusted. Mean words are exchanged and two weeks have passed without a word between them.
Aging may be a major factor in this type of behavior. But I am mostly just irritated that this is how far we (the people that share my DNA) can take such a trivial matter. Really, the jelly meant NO HARM! But when something really disturbs you, wise people say you have to look in the mirror. I am mostly upset at myself for allowing temporary "things" carry the burden of my feelings.
