Wills and Things  

Dear Reader, Have you made out a will and had your signature witnessed? If your answer is "no" DO IT NOW! Any lawyer, estate planner, family member, or friend will tell you that this is important. I know that most people don't want to think about death, let alone talk about it, but if you do think about it, plan what you want, then you can put it behind you as being settled and get on with happy things. How many times have you heard stories about assertive people stepping in and taking everything? Usually it is the people who have contributed the most to the happiness of the deceased person that end up with the least. You can prevent this with a will or pre-giving before death. Besides a will, I made up a list of all the things that I considered having value. I just wish I could take the credit for this dandy idea, but I have to give credit to a friend. I made copies for my three children, telling them this was a wish list for them to fill out. In the case of certain items I wanted to give specifically, I filled in a name. Also, I wanted items that had been given me by each child returned to him or her. When they returned their lists to me, I filled out my list accordingly. In the case of ties, I would complete my list trying to divide things evenly. In addition to this, I wanted the children to have the option of exchanging if they desired. Nothing is perfect, or works out exactly as planned, but hopefully it will work. I have had such a wonderful life, I wish the same for them. Grandma