Gratitude Day 872

Psalm 90:12 – Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.

Can I be honest?

The last three weeks have been ones that have encouraged me to be a bit more reflective. Two people who I have been closely associated with died. I’ll spare you the details and complications and challenges related to this. What I am reminded of once again is there are no lifetime warranties to this thing we call life. While we can purchase something labeled with a lifetime warranty, our lives are not guaranteed this. One day, our lives will end.  

When we find ourselves in situations where we are reminded of the fragility of live, we MUST contemplate. Yes, we can think about the good and challenging experiences with this person. Yet, I also think the situation begs us to walk away with something that encourages us to think about our lives a bit differently.

Previously, I have shared about how to care for yourself when going through a challenging time. Truth? Hm, I’m not following all of these very well. I have been reminded to slowly work towards including some of these things back into my life. I need to care for me because this is how I am more helpful to others. Boundaries are okay and I have been thinking about these as well.

Yet, this time in my life has challenged me to really think about some other deeper things. These are the things I share today.

• Get your crap together. Draft a will that shares your wishes. Be as specific as you can be. I realize that situations change. If it has been a while since you drafted your will, go back and review it. You may want to seek guidance from a lawyer about how your assets and estate could or should be structured. There are different ways and a professional can help you sort through what is best for your situation. Give yourself a deadline of when you want to have this accomplished and stick with it. Seriously.
• Complete a health care power of attorney. This is a document that indicates what types of care you want for yourself if you are not physically able to make those choices. Do you want life support or nor? Tube feeding? A variety of different options. Each state has slightly different suggested documents to use. Go online and find the appropriate one for your state. In the process you name someone who will carry out your wishes if you are not able to do so. Help them understand exactly what your wishes are. Get it signed and completed. If yours is completed, please review it and make sure it is current or make changes as necessary. Do you still prefer to have the named power of attorney? If so, please make sure they understand your wishes.
• Make some choices about what you want done with your body after death. Do you want to be an organ donor? Do you have this clearly indicated and your health care power of attorney knows this? Do you prefer to be cremated or not? Where would you like your remains to go? Include details about whether you want a service or not and ideas for the service. My Aunt Beverly had drafted two pages of information about this, which was very helpful. Make sure those closest to you are aware of your specific wishes. Sometimes people say that they don’t care what happens. The problem with this is then your loved ones lack guidance in what to do. Help them. Give them a gift and be specific. And … make sure you share the same wishes with your loved ones.
• Pull together all of your important information and keep it together in one place. Here’s helpful information about this. Print this off. Refer back to it. Get it pulled together. Now. Go back to this information once a year and make sure it is up-to-date. Let someone know exactly where it is, beyond those who live in your house.
• Complete more over-planning than under planning. My experience is that we “think” we have things pulled together. And sometimes we do. Other times, the information is older than we realize and not as helpful as at one time. Go back and review this information. Have an annual time when you review this information with someone close to you who will be affected by your death. Each year, Hubby Rick and I talk about our wishes and how they have changed. Be specific. It is a gift that you give your loved ones.
• When a loved one dies, be committed to working through their wishes. Accept that other family members may have differences of opinion. People often say to me that they want to honor their loved one but their actions reflect something different. Honor them in the very best way possible by not making this all about what YOU want. In moments of grief and shock, it is difficult not to think about what you want. This is why it is even more important to become clear about your commitment to this BEFORE any loved one dies.

I know these conversations can be hard and unwanted. But they are so helpful when someone else knows exactly what how you feel.

Truth? We don’t have lifetime warranties. One day, our earthly life will end. What we can do is design our lives in such a way that we do focus on what is most important to us. We create a legacy that embodies those values that we treasure most. And, we leave behind information that makes our death easier on those around us.

On another note: YOU are loved. YOU are worthy. No matter what is going on in your life today, YOU are a special person. Here’s a song that has been carrying me lately and I share with you today.

Have a blessed day.

Blessings –

Dianne

Loving God – There are some topics that are so difficult for us to think about. We think if we avoid them, they will go away. But honestly, they don’t. Kicking the can down the road may not be helpful. This week, place on my heart those ways that I can prepare for when my lifetime warranty expires. May I prepare and leave behind a gift for those who know what is most important to me. Amen.

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