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On planning ahead

I came across a poignant article in this month’s issue of Redbook (June 2013) that struck a raw chord with me.  (I should mention now that this post is 100% non-photography related.)  If you have loved ones, stick around, you probably need to hear this.  And no, this isn’t my typical upbeat flowery post, but I think it’s an important conversation to have.

The Redbook article focused on the painful & unnecessary lessons learned by Chanel Reynolds, mother of two young children, when her husband died unexpectedly.   With the death of her husband, she found herself financially and legally vulnerable.  Things like not knowing the unlock code to his phone to gain access to some of his personal information, to not having a signed will or knowing his end-of-life wishes, to not knowing if he was singed up for long-term care through his employer (he was on life support for a few days before she made the hard decision.)

“I was dealing with this crushing grief and losing my husband and soul mate,” she says.  “I was facing becoming a single mom.  But I had a hard time focusing on what the doctors were telling me, because all this other stuff was crowding into my head.  Would I lose the house?  Would I go bankrupt?  I said to a friend, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t have my s–t together.  I don’t.  And I’m a smart, professional person with an education and resources.  I should not be screwed, but I am.”

When it was all said and done, she was determined to push others to be proactive about getting their information pulled together, so if, Heaven forbid, you or your loved one were taken too soon, you wouldn’t have to worry about a million frustrating details or questions.  After several years of work, she developed a site appropriately called GetYourShitTogether.org

Chanel’s site contains a host of helpful templates for preparing yourself for the future, including an actual will, living will, and power of attorney.  She also includes a ‘Details’ checklist that is invaluable.  If you’re unsure what exactly is life insurance or a living will, click on the links and she provides an easy-to-understand explanation of each.

It’s morbid and sad to think about you or your loved one being taken too soon, but as she comments in the article, “When Jose was killed I was far more vulnerable than I should have been, and a few very basic things would have saved me a mountain of unnecessary suffering when it was already hard enough to just get dressed in the morning.”  Point taken.

Keepin’ it real…
Love Jenn
xo

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