Read ja´s latest article – London Sketches

I had been deliberating over when I’d be ready to take the plunge into early retirement when, a couple of years ago, two different women I knew as casual friends died unexpectedly in their 50s. Both deaths were shocking and gave me a wake-up call that life is short and we never know how much time we have to pursue our dreams.

I’m sorry for the loss of your friend.

Over the last three months I have lost 4 friends to death also, one who was the adult child of a friend. No matter when or how death occurs, it’s painful for those left behind.

But death is also a reminder of how important it is to enjoy every moment of our lives.

It’s also a reminder to be as prepared as possible. When my mother was in critical care hospital unit the social worker assigned to me insisted that I also complete my own health directives so my family would know what to do in the event I fell into a coma or life support. At first I was very annoyed with him since I was grieving over my mother’s impending death. But he was right. I completed the information and sent copies to my adult children.

I realized that the death of a close relative is a good time to take care of such things for the primary survivors as well. Otherwise, it’s sometimes difficult to get family members back together to focus on these things.

My mother had paid for her funeral and burial many years before she died. We only had to select the flowers. It took a lot of stress out of an already sad situation.

Thanks for sharing this list.

@Evelyn – Being prepared is definitely better than the alternative!

Thanks for commenting! I look forward to hearing from others.