I have been doing pretty good at not being blue for quite a while now. The occasional tailspin is not lasting long. I look after my Sig. Other, who is in frail health with a worsening mobility impairment. Looking after him keeps me occupied.

A little while ago I was barely keeping myself from breaking down weeping. My boyfriend is elderly and has adult children. We live thousands of miles away from them. Usually, he gets a call on Christmas eve or Christmas day from them. He got no call from two of them yesterday or today. They all met together today at the home of one. He has three adult children. I thought that - surely - while they were all gathered, someone would call him and they'ld pass the phone around. That's what they've done for decades. No call.

I feel so bad for him. He's not one to brood. I don't know if he feels hurt. He's not one to ever speak critically of his kids. On facebook there have appeared pictures of his kids and grandkids all gathered together earlier this evening. They posted videos. But they didn't call to let him hear their voices.

What am I not understanding? Do people now consider posts on facebook to take the place of making a phone call? Am I out of step with current cultural norms? Is this not abnormal?

For all anyone knows . . . this may be their father's last Christmas. At best, he's unlikely to have more than a few left. And they don't pick up a phone to call him on Christmas day? What kind of people do that?

He's gone to bed now. I'll be extra nice to him tomorrow. He doesn't deserve his kids to be this cruel.

They've never done this before. I don't understand.

I don't know of anything I could have done to help better connect him with his kids. I show him the facebook posts.