Thank you dearly for the kind thoughts and offers. The Gramps community has become another family I cherish.
On a positive note, if the hasty real estate closing occurs on schedule Wednesday, I should be be able to stumble through this crisis without inconveniencing anyone else financially. You need not collect any actual monies towards my relief. (Although I will surely come begging for Linux setup help and laptop shopping advice.)
It will take a some time to reset a household though. And, as I informed Nick just before my personal emergency, the exhaustion of my reserves meant a hiatus for daily support on the Gramps forum was imminent regardless.
IT contract work with my local small business customers dried up during the pandemicā¦ so I have to change tracks. That meant having to jumpstart my career. Unexpected events just pushed toward doing that so much differently than planned. Even with the likelihood insurance will pay next to nothing, selling might actually mean financial options will open for a gentler transition on the career sideā¦ at the expense of a home, peace of mind, a lot of sleep, and a lifetime of possessions. I hope to be happier without the weight of so many material things.
Although somewhat older, I am reminded of my fatherās life. He had to start over in his 50s when the mid-west US rust belt economy ultimately collapsed. After 6 generations in our home town, he had to pull up stakes and move a thousand miles south. Privately to Mom, he voiced his deep distress that he hadnāt provided her a stable life by that age.
But that crisis lead to him creating a happier and more prosperous life for our family. I would be proud to follow his pattern.