What Is Left Behind

There are stories that are not mine to tell.

There are subjects that need to be addressed, no matter how uncomfortable they make me.

I pay attention when these two categories cross paths because that rarely happens.

When a story is not mine, I keep it to myself.  When a burning topic makes me uncomfortable, I find a way to write about part of it, or I find a personal perspective that makes it palatable.

This time there is no such shortcut.

A dear friend of mine is living with what remains after a tragic loss.  She was removed from the situation, but now she is at the center.

With the grace of an angel, my friend has stepped into the eye of the storm to calm the fears and soothe the hurts.

With the wisdom of ten women, my friend is organizing the chaos and making sense of the randomness.

When I asked how I can help, she asked only for my prayers.

When I asked what I can do, she asked me to do two things.

First ~

Send out the word to everyone you know...if they don't have a will in place, make one before the end of the month.  If they do, be sure it's current.

Ken and I had wills drawn up in 1991.  Some event spurred us into action, although I don't remember exactly what happened.  Our main concerns were assigning guardianship for our children and designating someone to handle the finances.  Today our children are adults so we need to revisit the provisions we made and evaluate if they still fit our family's needs.

Second ~

Keep things [paperwork, files, accounts] organized in case anyone needs to come in and pick up the pieces for you.  Pass it on and save a family's agony.

Some of you may remember that I have been working to streamline my family's accounts since last summer.  It has been a process of trial and error.  I realized that we need to have the online option to view and pay bills, as well as the monthly statements that come in the mail.  Each family is different, but that is what works best for Ken and me.  I want to invest in one fireproof lock box that will hold the legal papers so that everything is in one place.  In general terms I have talked with my children to show them where things are but, as is true with the rest of us, this will take more than one run-through and regular updates.

These are not easy topics to talk about.  

If we don't talk about it, who will? 

If we don't take care of it now, who will have to pick up the pieces after we're gone?

There are hard questions that may not have easy answers.  We can start simply and work our way through the process, one step at a time.  

 

Each journey begins with a single step.