Hard Decisions Made Somewhat Easier

I am not the first person to lose a Parent.

I am not the first person to have to suspend life support.

I am not the first person to watch as a loved one passed away.

Things were made somewhat easier by my Parents.

A few years ago, they made a Living Will.

Dunno how Ma got that past Pa, but she did. Will's and life insurance are something Pa is wary of, due to superstitions passed down from generations of Coal Miners. She gave a copy to my Sister and I, and made us sit there and read it in front of her.

If we hadn't had that document, I don't know what would have happened.

The rest of my family have long known what she wanted, and more importantly given the circumstances, what she didn't want. When the Doctor called on Friday and gave us the ultimate prognosis, it wasn't what we wanted to hear.

But we knew we had to do what she wanted. To do anything else would be selfish and wrong.

When I came home from talking with the Doctor, M.D.B. and I sat the girls down and told them what was going to happen. It wasn't easy, but its part of being an adult.

Then we told them that we loved them, and we didn't want them to have to make the hard decisions if weren't able to. We made our wishes clear to them, and as soon as the dust settles, we too will make it a legal document. We love our girls, and to put them through unneeded trauma at a time of crisis would just be cruel. I urge anyone reading this to create a living will. If you don't want to pay a lawyer, you can get kits and software at most office supply stores, and getting it notarized is as easy as going to City Hall.

Living Will's are an expression of love.

Ma loved us enough to make the decisions for us.

Thanks Ma.

M.D.B. shares her views at This is Wonderland?