Some Things Should Always Be Put Off ‘Till Next Year
I wasn’t able to talk to Ed, my old neighbor, from Saskatchewan last week. I figure it may be just as well, as the Mrs. and I, have been trying to get our thoughts collected, and the needed information gathered up to update our wills. Some things that need to be done get put off until it is too late. Since we have just moved to a new province, it is a good time to take care of all things needful. Ed, my old neighbor, always said that having your will written up is like waving a red flag at fate. According to him, a will says that you’re ready for death, and the distribution of all you have to others. Ed has said that it was best to put off writing up your will to the future. He was positive that you should let people know that you are not ready to die, or give any of your possessions to anybody, anytime soon!
I can imagine the hassle Ed will give me when he hears we are updating our wills. His questions will be of these sorts: “Is one of you sick? Will you have any beneficiaries in your will that aren’t a relative? Do you know some people leave money to an old friend or neighbor? Do you need a good executor? Remember I have free time in the winter to waste for taking care of your estate. Are those BC lawyers more expensive than the Saskatchewan ones? Have you thought about writing your will up yourself and saving the cost of a lawyer?” I know for sure that Ed will remind me that a person should never let his kids know the details of his will until he is dead. That way he won’t know all the trouble he started because where there is a will there’s a lawsuit.
Ed is a great one to think in terms of what if. He has had his what ifs about wills. He has questioned what if you pay good money to have a will written up and signed, and then the will gets lost? You will have wasted your money for nothing. What if your will gets contested, and your wishes in your will get ignored by the court? My answer was that when I never waste money, and all my wishes come to pass as I wanted, I’ll be in heaven.
Drawing up a will is a way of dealing with the questions, of “What if I die, what will happen to me and those in my life?†A will can allow a person to say after their death what they desired done with their remains and possessions. Hopefully, it is a chance to express love and concern to one’s family. How sad if a will is used to express hate or hurt to those closest to the deceased. In death or life, we have an opportunity to show good intentions towards others.
We know that other people die and that everyone dies sooner or later. Having a will confirms what the Bible says, “There is a time for everything, (My) time to be born and (My) time to die.” There is no avoiding the inevitable.
