Caring for the Details

Tom's cousin from upstate New York is revising the Brant Family Book that she wrote several years ago, a book of family history and photos.  She mentioned that she'd like a photo of Tom's grandfather's gravesite.  Since he is buried at Washelli in Seattle, we volunteered to take a picture and send it to her.  So Saturday afternoon we set off in search of Grampa Kauffman's headstone.

The cemetery is huge, but even after many years Tom drove right to the grave.  We pulled out a few weeds with very long runners which, over the years, have been the cause of some deterioration of the cement border around the marker, and blew away the dirt.  Tom placed a rose from our garden on the stone and we got photos for the book and for family members.

Everybody dies; there have been only two people in history who haven't.  They were Enoch and Elijah, men from the Old Testament whom God chose to take from this earth.  So I can be pretty sure that one day this body will be finished and my spirit will shake it off like a worn-out, tattered garment.  Death, our final enemy, has been overcome through Christ, so I do not fear it.

But I have been concerned about what happens to my family in the event of my death.  So last week Tom and I made our final arrangements; now our family will not be burdened by the details of the funeral and burial.  We know that they will not have to figure out what to do or to guess what we would have wanted because we are making those decisions ourselves.  And they will not have to figure out how to pay for necessary services because we are caring for that as well.  All of the important data (financial information, family, health information, veterans benefits, etc.) will be recorded in a booklet that came with our plan, saving our loved ones the added grief of having to collect this information at the time of our deaths.

I was surprised by the reasonable cost.  Although funeral and burial costs rise regularly, once the arrangements have been made the price is locked in.  And if anything happens to our children before they turn 21, their costs will also be covered.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, but it was a relief to take care of this.  It got Tom and me talking about something we'd just as soon avoid.  And it provides peace of mind for us now and for our families down the road.  If it is something you haven't explored, I recommend you do.  It is well worth it.