Once upon a time, family used to be close, but not anymore. Today, it's not uncommon for family to be estranged or distant. Once the children are grown, they get their own lives & leave their parents and younger siblings (if any) behind. From this letter, it seems like the family is estranged. Maybe they’ve been at war so much that they cut each other off. If so, I don't blame them for being estranged because who wants to be in constant turmoil? Peace over conflict. The way I see it is this mother should focus on those who care for her and leave her family to the ravens. If they're not checking for her, she shouldn't check for them.
