Dear Prudence,
My husband died during our separation. He had been cheating on me but I didn’t find out who until after he died. His family always hated me, especially his mother. I was the wrong color and culture. I didn’t find out how much until his mother tried to bring the other woman to the funeral. There would have been an additional body in that funeral parlor if the director hadn’t stepped in and made the woman leave. Needless to say, what little contact I had with my former in-laws has not been good. The only positive relationship that I had was with my sister-in-law. She married into the family like me and came from a different background. My husband was very close to her son (his brother had constant legal problems). Looking back I can understand why she kept her distance from me—she was living with our mother-in-law and only working part-time. Her son graduated from high school this year. My husband always talked about helping out with school. Money wise I am very comfortable. Should I help out? Or is it foolish of me to reach out?
—Reach Out