There's something very sobering when you realize you've come to a point in life where you must make preparations for when you're no longer here. A and I have been talking for several years about the need to prepare our wills, take care of guardianship issues relating to E and MB, and (for me) prepare a living will. We kept talking, and we kept talking, and we kept talking -- and nothing was ever done.
Last night, we decided that that would be priority one for us this morning, and so we sat down together and finished everything. A had had to prepare a living will just prior to her heart surgery a few years ago, but it was something I had never done before -- and it took me a long time to finish it, despite the fact that it's a very short form. There's no right or wrong answer for these sorts of things, but I knew what I needed to do; it was simply a matter of being overwhelmed by the enormity of what I was doing.
Yet when it was finished, there was a tremendous sense of relief -- it's done, and we no longer have to worry about these sorts of things. For me, there's no longer this nagging worry in the back of my mind about how the girls will be taken care of in the event something happens. Surprisingly, we could also prepare for care for our cats; seems like there's nothing that a lawyer can't help you prepare for these days!
My dh and I made a will years ago when we only had two children. So much has changed now and we need to completely redo the will. But finding the time and figuring out what exactly we want to do has been the kicker. The tyranny of the urgent makes sure we never have time to think about it or explore the options. Kudos to you for sitting down and actually getting it done.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I made our wills when we realized that we would leave behind enough money to fight over. We didn't want certain relatives trying to get custody of our son in order to get control of the money.
ReplyDeleteThe boy is now an adult, so the wills were not needed, but they gave us years of peace-of-mind. I think that's a good enough reason to make out a will.
I'm with you, dude... I can't stand this stuff either. Makes me tempted to live in fear.
ReplyDeleteJoe and I redid our wills a few weeks ago, before our trip to Greece. It seemed the responsible thing to do in the face of taking what was for us an extraordinary and unusual vacation. It was indeed sobering -- it is such a tangible acknowledgment of our mortality, something we generally stay away from. I'm glad and relieved that it is done.
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