Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. I just got here in the States yesterday. (For a week the time difference in NY is only 4 hours from the UK because in Rochester at least, they change their clocks this Sunday.) I'm going to try and visit him. I just found out yesterday that the poor guy's dentures don't even fit in his mouth anymore. As for my sister, I have tried several times to reach out to her (letters, emails, leaving a voicemail) in the past six months and have only received a trite birthday card, wedding thank you and birthday email, nothing that is really genuine; I appreciate the sympathetic comments about that hurtful situation. She apparently calls my parents or brother fairly often so maybe I will have the chance to talk to her. If I don't, then at least I know the email that I sent to her about a week ago expressed that I care about her and wish she would talk to me. It is quite one-sided in terms of the effort and my family isn't as tactful as they could be. Eh. It's interesting how if the same disrespect was shown towards me by a "friend" that I would have cut them out of my life by now.