Welcome to 2018! There is something wonderful about a fresh start. The year ahead is filled with possibilities and promise. I opened a new calendar the other day, and the blank boxes begged me to fill them with activities, birthdates and vacations. I am a planner, so having everything in place and organized for the year ahead gave me a sense of peace and calm. There were things I had to look forward to, like my daughter’s high school graduation, and things that I needed to prepare for ahead of time, like dropping her off at college in the fall. I had the same sense of calm when Ron and I finished our estate plan.
When we first started the estate planning process, the empty boxes on the forms left questions. Questions about who would care for our kids if something should happen to us, who would make medical decisions for me in the event of a life-threatening accident or condition, or how my legacy would be handed down to the next generation. They begged me to fill them with my plans, my wishes and my stories. They pleaded with me to make sure everything was in order in the event of one of life’s “ifs”. There were some choices that were easy to make and some that required more thought and processing but in the end, it was a relief, a promise, and left nothing to chance.
What I learned by filling all the blank boxes is that although I don’t necessarily want to deal with my mortality, I feel more peaceful and calm knowing that someone else won’t have the deal with it either. I won’t be leaving that for my kids to decide or for a judge to rule.
As we embark on a new year and make plans for the coming months, please consider your estate plan and whether your plan (or the plan you have been meaning to write) has all your hopes and intentions spelled out. Make sure all the blanks are filled with promise and opportunity, not probability and chance.
If your estate plan is a blank sheet or needs updates, we would be honored to help you. We want you to rest easy knowing that your hopes, dreams and stories are filled in.
We offer consultations free of charge, so give us a call at 916-903-3717 or email us at ronsuggslaw@gmail.com.