Thank you very much. It means a lot to me.

I had major car trouble today. It came with no warning. My car is old, so it may not be worth fixing. I'm having a lot of anxiety over it.

I did call my sister . . . the one who had been ignoring me for months. I used to always call her for car advice. She acted alright on the phone. I told her I felt bad not hearing from her at Christmas and I was worried she was mad at me. She denied being mad at me. She said she was giving me space. That sounded like baloney. But she was cordial on the phone.

That was our family's culture - giving the cold shoulder to express a grievance, but never speaking honestly about an issue. Because I have no children, I've always tried so hard to be on good terms with my siblings. They are all the family I have, so I've walked on eggshells trying to stay on everyone's good side.

I told my sister that I've been depressed and would be grateful if she'ld call me now and then. I'll see what happens.

The car trouble (transmission completely failed) was just the last straw on top of my already feeling bad. So now I feel overwhelmed. I tell myself nothing that's happening is so awful.

But I feel bad and alone.