This morning, John and I had our will executed, which means that we went to our lawyer’s office and signed on a couple dotted lines. Once for the power of attorney. Once for our respective wills. And, once for a health care directive. In the end, it was less painful—and less expensive—than closing on real estate. Voila!
We can die now and know that our children will be in good hands…or will they? I’m not worried about our choice for guardians, but should they be called upon—god forbid—they must pass muster by a court of law. So, the guardians are mostly a done deal, as notorized in a legal document. And, I thought assigning a guardian was the really important part of signing a will, at least for those who have children.*
However, the lawyer informs me, the health care directive is a much bigger deal. The health care directive, while not a do-not-resuscitate order, was hard to complete. If I am not terminal and have a rapidly deteriorating condition would I want oxygen? antibiotics? pain medication even though it may be lethal? I have no idea.
We have been volleying the will around for the past three years, so it is with great relief that we found a good lawyer who was patient and understanding, who started the questionnaire last October and had a document for us by December. But, now it’s done and I can cross off another line item from my metaphysical checklist!
*Don’t get me wrong, though, cuz if you have children, you should have a will. Verbal agreements for your sister/brother/Aunt Sally to take care of your children upon your untimely death don’t hold any weight.
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