Not so weird after all...

I'm starting to think maybe I'm not so weird after all. All this cancer business has made me think a lot about death the past few months. We all ponder our own mortality, some more than others, but there's nothing like a life threatening illness to make you think seriously about such things.

Friends often "shush" me when I talk about things like estate planning, funeral planning, and other practicalities of the hereafter. As though they think I've given up the fight. Or I'm being negative. Or unnecessarily morbid. When really, it's none of those things. It's the project manager in me kicking in. I'm a planner. I'll be planning things even as I go to my grave, whenever that happens to be. Planning, or in this case, pre-planning, makes me think I'm in control. Even if I'm not.

When I first learned of my cancer, I immediate sprang into action and updated my will, checked to see what silly things I've put into my safe deposit box over the years, and started buying scrapbooking supplies so I can finish off the last of those umpteen scrapbooks I've been wanting to do.

But what I thought about the most was my son. How to make my passing easier for him, not just emotionally, but logistically.

We're all going to die. Even me. Even you. It's a fact of life, but not necessarily a sad fact. It's an opportunity for us. Most importantly, its an opportunity for us to get right with God. To ask forgiveness of people we've wronged in life. To put our "house" in order. And to clean out our closets, organize our filing cabinets, and make sure the right people know where to find our passwords and PINs.

I discovered a great web site that helps organize such things; MyWonderfulLife.com. There, you can leave instructions for the funeral you envision. Mine will be very non-traditional, so I'd best make sure someone knows what I'd like. You can leave letters to loved ones that can't be viewed until you're gone gone. Note where things are located, etc. Did you know the latest trend in funerals are "funeral favors"?  Like birthday party favors. How funny.

No. Do not tell me that thinking about such things is WEIRD. Or NEGATIVE. Or MORBID. Or UNNECESSARY. It's not. I like to think its smart. It will not only make things easier for those I leave behind, whether that's in two weeks or two decades, but it will help complete my project plan. Which is very important. Cause who wants to spend their last moments on earth wondering if they left a note of their Yahoo passwords where someone can find it??