I’m going to try to provide a bit of background here for context. I live decently far away from the bulk of my extended family. Best travel method to them is a 12 hour drive. There is no train. A plane is possible, but expensive and lately unreliable and also requires car rental. There are about a dozen elderly family members who are currently reaching that time of life. To put it bluntly, funeral season has begun.
I find myself faced with the dilemma of traveling to a funeral. Getting there quickly on relatively short notice is going to be difficult, but it’s not impossible. I do understand the importance of being there to support my family. I don’t feel it is necessary for me to be there in order to process my own grief. In making my decision, I find myself worrying about the fact that this is likely the first of many funerals to come in relatively rapid succession. Realistically, I am not going to get to all of them. I’ve got a job and a child and there are going to be insurmountable obstacles to some of them. Since all of these relatives are about the same distance in relationship, I am worried there will be hurt feelings if I manage to attend some and not others.