My father in Law took occasion to share with me some sad news.  He told me of a man that he had known personally, who was now dead.  He had committed suicide.

He explained to me that this death was a shock to everyone who knew him.  His reasons for committing suicide were unclear and the family was left to deal with the results.  His wife was distraught over the act, and was left to question the relationship, the family left behind and everything in their lives.

While this created stress and hardship, there were other issues.  You see the man had two families.  He had divorced years earlier and the remarried.  He had children to his first marriage and also to his second.

What increased the stress at this difficult time was the fact that the man did not have a will.  He did not have anything in place to protect and preserve his current wife and children.  He stated that the current wife had come to see him.  She was not only suffering grief from the loss of her husband, but the first wife had begun proceedings to secure the man’s inheritance.

My father in law used this example to share with me the need for a current Last Will and testament.

I thought about the significance of a Will.  Death comes to all.  No-one will get out of this world alive.  Whilst we don’t necessarily want to focus on our death, it is necessary to remember the reality of mortality.  What is more, we should plan for our death.

None of us knows when we will draw our last breath.  None of us knows when a tragedy will befall us.  None of us has a crystal ball to pinpoint, how or when our demise will come.

I recall that I have had the thought many times.  “I’m too young to die”, and “I’m not going to die for a long time”.  I have often thought, “There is so much for me yet to do in my life”.  There are many other positive beliefs that I have concerning my death.

I have often had the thought that acknowledgment and preparation for my own death, would be a very negative way to think.  While death is imminent, should not we live our lives to the fullest and treat each day as a precious gift?  I focus on the joy of living so much that I had not considered the morbid act of dying.  Is not the act of preparing a will, an act of preparing to die?

The thought occurred to me that when we prepare a will, we should do it with the conviction that we will not need it.  We could prepare out will with the highest sense of optimism and create a positive anchor from having a will.  This will could be a symbol of overcoming the greatest challenge that we have ever faced in life.  That is the challenge of an untimely death.  We determine and expect the very best, with the powerful knowledge that we will live for a very long time.  This will could represent a written expression of our will to live.

I have now prepared my Will to live and I encourage you all to do the same.  Let us prepare for the worst for one small instance, yet focus all our effort and energy toward the expectation of a bright and compelling future. I WILL LIVE FOREVER!