Be Prepared!

The Boy Scouts had the right idea - Be Prepared! As an honorary member of the "Worry About Everything" club, I have done my share of being prepared for the most obscure "what if" moments. I have carried everything from nail clippers, 5 kinds of medicine, hand sanitizer, kleenex, spare keys to vehicles I don't even drive, tape measure, multi-tool, and wet wipes. No wonder my purse is always so heavy! Before vacations I make sure to have all the reservation confirmations on my phone, tablet, and printed. I make a generalized daily itinerary, map out the route, find where we can stop for the night, and make sure I have clothes for whatever weather may come. If we were taking the camper I had menus drawn up and groceries packed. Of course, when traveling in an RV it's easy to pack extra. Even with all my packing lists and "to do" notes, there always seems to be something that gets past me. This year it was my dates. Somehow I got it in my head that we were supposed to be at Glacier on Sunday, when in fact it was Monday. Luckily they had a spot for us. The extra day was great anyway!

For someone who is so organized and plans ahead, you would think I would have all the major paperwork together. Unfortunately, we didn't have everything we should have. I had thought about getting a will together before our trip last summer, but I never did. I had a nagging feeling that something could happen to both of us while we were so far from home. In fact, I sent a text to my older daughter when we were on the road to tell her who got what if something happened to us. Of course, I was joking around with her and she joked back, but it was on my mind. The day of Maddy's accident when I had lunch with him we discussed doing a will. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

If something were to happen to you, your spouse, or both of you, do you have a list of all your assets, insurances, benefits, and who to contact for those? Do you have a will or other legal document? If you have minor children this is even more important. Luckily, our assets were in both our names or I was listed as the beneficiary so those transferred to me automatically or with some paperwork. There was only one thing that was not through his work and I found the statement for that. We didn't have any secret or separate accounts and I took care of all the financial matters. A year before we had met with an insurance guy who urged us to write it all down. After discussing it all we realized it could be accessed through our employers. The only thing missing was a will. I would've been okay except for one check that came to "the estate of" instead of just his name. Because of that I had to go to court. I have since gotten all my legal forms prepared, copied, and distributed to those who need it.

I urge you to make a notebook of all your assets. List the name, value, contact information, and any other important notes for each policy or real property your own. You might even include a copy of policies or titles. Make sure beneficiary information is up to date. Write out your final wishes, including obituary information, where you want to be buried, songs, and what you want for the service so your loved ones don't have to make all the decisions. List who you want to have some of your personal belongings. Make sure several people know where this notebook is or how to access it. This may sound morbid or depressing, but I can assure you that having this prepared will be a great relief to those you leave behind. Even knowing what assets we had, I still had mounds of stress keeping all the policies, accounts, and benefits straight. I had a notebook with a different page for each one. I wrote names of people I talked to, dates of contacts and when I sent paperwork, and notes of whatever they told me I needed. I can't imagine how much harder it would have been if I would have had to track down all the information myself.

God has told us that we will not know when our life will be required of us. No matter how careful you are, how healthy you try to be, or how much you have planned for the future, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. We should live our life the way Jesus commanded us, but having a plan for when we are no longer on this earth is wise. Show your loved ones that you cared enough take care of them in your absence.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14