In the last few weeks, we've had the privilege to join several clients in their grief as the mourn the loss of loved ones taken too soon.
We've met with a young father who lost his wife of thirteen years to a battle with a rare disorder.
We've met a young man who was married to his wife for only two months before she died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed illness.
We've sat with clients at the funeral of their adult daughter who left behind a husband and two young girls after dying suddenly due to complications from a chronic illness.
It is a happy occasion to work with clients who are trying to get ahead of tragedy, but often the work we do is in the wake of loss. We are grateful to be able to help clients during times of mourning and pain, but those times illustrate a truth that we rarely want to acknowledge or face: Death doesn't play fair.
It doesn't always wait until we've lived a long, full life. It doesn't wait until our loved ones have prepared themselves for our absence. It doesn't respect our plans or potential. It doesn't care about how young we are, how loved we are, how missed we will be.
It takes too many of us too soon. And so, it's never really too soon to accept that it can come any time and plan accordingly.
The kind of planning that we do can never replace a loved one, nor can it reduce our grief. What it can do is remove certain practicalities from being sources of distraction or anxiety during times when we need and want to be present with and comfort one another. Estate planning, done right, provides room for our emotions and attention to be focused on the right things during times of great loss.
We are honored to play a small part in helping before, during, and after those times.
