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That first night when I didn't think he was gonna make it, I was driving my mom home so she could get some rest. I finally had the courage to ask her again what the plan was when he died. What were his wishes? Had they talked about it? What about the cost? Funerals are not cheap. She assured me, once again, that it would be okay, and in that moment, I had to trust her. And you know what? It was okay. When he was in his final days at home in hospice, surrounded by a constant visual of family, my mom told me he wanted to be cremated, and he didn't want a formal funeral. Knowing this, I ordered a beautiful wooden box off of Etsy where we could put his ashes, and I took a deep breath. I'm sure there was a little bit of grief for me, and I needed to plan and do something to keep my mind active.

But I also had some relief because I knew we had a little bit of time without the need for a formal funeral. A month after he passed, we had a beautiful celebration of life, complete with Hawaiian shirts, bagpipes, and at least a 100 people. It was truly a celebration and so was the timing because a few weeks later, the world shut down. I share this story about my dad with you because while death isn't the most comfortable topic to talk about, we know that we are all going to die. While we usually don't know when our expiration date is, we do have the option to make a plan to ensure that our loved ones have a few less things to worry about when it happens. Shortly after my dad passed away, I hired an attorney and created a will. It was scary, unsettling, and one of my best decisions. Going through my entire life with a fine tooth comb, deciding what and who I wanted to be involved with the decisions if I was incapacitated, my wishes for Ty, my money and belongings, and because I was a single mom at the time, making sure that Ty would be taken care of.

I aimed to make a roadmap for my loved ones as my final parting gift. Recently, a lot of my friends have lost loved ones and it reminded me that creating a will is not only a parting gift to your loved ones, but a peace of mind for you. At least that is what I felt after completing the process. When Josh and I consolidated, one of the first things we did was create a new will and end of life plans. The process forced us to have hard conversations about our end of life wishes, what to do with our stuff, who we wanted to execute our wishes. By far, one of the best conversations we've ever had. So where do you start? Start with you. Reach out to an attorney who deals with wills and find out what you need to make sure you have a plan in place.

While the process is hard, it is a huge relief when you are finished. Making sure your beneficiaries are current and collecting all of your accounts and passwords in one place are good places to start. Then you can ask your parents, what are their plans? Not just end of life, but if they get sick and can't make decisions or lose cognitive ability. Again, these are not fun topics, but they are critical. It's easier to prepare for an emergency or crisis before it happens, and we are all going to die. I promise it's an absolute in life. I wish I had been more persistent with my parents and had not waited until the 11th hour to ask mom the hard questions about dad. We were in survival mode and grieving, and that was more than enough.

Every state is a little different, so ask for referrals or do a good old fashioned Google search. I absolutely loved the process with our attorney here in Colorado. They made it smooth and comprehensive, covering topics I didn't even know needed to be addressed. And once a year, I review all of my stuff to make sure it's still current. Remember, you're leaving a gift to your loved ones so they can honor your wishes and have the roadmap to achieve it. The last time dad and I talked about his funeral, he didn't wanna be cremated. He wanted a full firefighter Catholic funeral, but that changed. And we were able to celebrate and honor him, in my opinion, in a more authentic way that represented who he was, the life he lived, and the people he influenced.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Remember, planning for the inevitable is an act of love for those we leave behind. Let's face it together with courage and compassion. Thank you for giving

the valuable gift of your time and listening to the Fire Inside Her podcast. Speaking of value, one of the most common potholes we fall into on the journey to authenticity is not recognizing our value. So I created a workbook. It's all about value. Head on over to thefireinsideher.com/value to get your free workbook that will help you remember your value. Until next time, my friend.