Show you care make a will!

I know that I’ve written about the importance of a will before. However, it needs to be said again. I have a dear friend who just passed away. As a matter of fact I’ve just come from his funeral. While talking to his relatives I was asked about why he didn’t have a will. For at least ten years I’ve suggested that he write a will and a living will. He was in good health. He just didn’t do one. He has strong healthy children and grandchildren, all of whom seem to be very intelligent. They spent much of their grief time attempting to understand what their love one would have wanted. Everyone wanted to do the right things but there was no way to know for sure what their dad would have wanted. Watching this lovely family making all of the decisions has prompted me to write this.
First of all everyone needs a will. There are no exceptions. A will is not expensive. The attorney fees start at seventy-five dollars. You do not have to know all your property. For incidence you do not have to put down the make and model of your car. Chances are that at the time of the will you will not have the same car. A will is a general instruction about who gets what after you have gone. You can say to my son I leave all of my guns. To my daughter I leave all of the jewelry. You do however need to know who you trust to carry out your wishes. You need a personal representative. This is what we use to call an executor. You also need a person to be an alternate. This is just in case the chosen executor has predeceased you or for some reason can’t do the job. Most couples make their spouse their personal representative and a child their alternate.
Second, it takes away a lot of pain for your loved ones if you have a living will. In the past women gave birth whenever the baby wanted to come. Now days the event is often planned. The family and the doctor decide when to induce the labor. It seems the same thing has happened at the end of life. The doctors have machines that can keep your lungs, kidneys, and heart going for a long time. Then after the family has spent several weeks at the hospital the machines can be removed. This takes the suddenness out of the death. It prepares the living for your passing. If you wish to be placed on life support you can say so in your living will. If you want to die in a more old fashioned way you can. In a living will you can determine how your last illness is handled. This is not what any of us want to think about while we are rushing through our healthy days. However doing a will and a living will are great gifts to give your loved ones as you are leaving this earth for your heavenly home.