Three days after we buried our parents, my sister Diane changed every lock on our family farm. When I arrived, she stood on the porch holding a shiny new set of keys while her husband, Craig, watched behind her. \u201cMom and Dad wanted me to handle everything,\u201d she announced. \u201cYou need to accept that and move on.\u201d I stared past her at the house where we had grown up, remembering our parents repeatedly saying the farm would remain in the family. Yet Diane was acting as though their deaths had handed her everything. She had already contacted an estate agent, spoken with potential buyers, and begun removing equipment from the barns without discussing any of it with me.<\/p>\n
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When I asked whether she had consulted our parents\u2019 longtime attorney, Paul Whitmore, Diane laughed. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to discuss. I\u2019m making the decisions now.\u201d Instead of arguing, I walked away and called Paul myself. After hearing what Diane had done, his voice became unexpectedly serious. Then he gave me a warning that changed everything. Click continue reading below<\/p>\n
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