Review
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Title: Am I Ready To Die?
Author: Dr. James C. Park and Meredith A. Kendell
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Genre: Non-fiction
Year Published: 2009
Number of Pages: 168
Binding: Quality Paperback
ISBN10: n/a
ISBN13: 978-1-59955-261-3
Price: $14.99
Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle
"Am I prepared for this meeting with my boss?"
"Did I shave and shower this morning?"
"Does this dress make my rear end look fat?"
Questions, questions, questions. Life is full of them. And every so often, we get lucky and actually have answers that satisfy us. The day we stop asking questions is the day we stop living fully.
One question we may not ask very often is, "Am I ready to die?" Brrr. Leaves a bit of chill just thinking about it. No matter what our beliefs, there is always a small corner in our minds where we question just exactly what's going to happen the moment we close our mortal eyes for the last time.
No matter what happens to us after we die, there are always questions about those who we leave behind. As I write this, the whole world is bent over and spitting over the death of Michael Jackson. Yes, he was a great entertainer, and yes, questions remain about his personal life and his own personal demons. Not a peep in most media about the nearly 200 innocent civilians who died in Baghdad just last week. This seems a bit out of balance to me.
They all have one thing in common -- they leave behind grieving friends and relatives and, in some cases, a mountain of work and worry that keeps them busy for a long time. When my father passed away, we discovered in his home boxes of financial statements and bank books that we had no idea he possessed. It took nearly a year to sort it all out -- an incredibly complex task. How much simpler it would have been had he left behind better instructions.
This surprising little book from Cedar Fort, Inc., is a helpful handbook to assist anyone in preparing for that day that will come for all of us. It is chock full of checklists, forms, hints and helpful websites, all designed to help you leave behind a complete and easily read record of your life's possessions.
It also includes current versions of various legal documents, such as a Living Will, a Durable Power of Attorney, and an Organ Donor permission form. You also get sample letters you can leave behind for friends and family.
If you're like me, you don't much like the idea of dying. There's still so much living to do. But part of living involves the building of relationships. Over the course of our lives, we accumulate so many things and so many people. It would be tragic if we left behind an unworkable mess rather than an orderly, simple set of instructions.
If you need guidance in this important area, consider this book. It will make you think about the life you've lived and the lives you'll leave behiind.
Jeffrey Needle
Association for Mormon Letters
jeff.needle@gmail.comwww.aml-online.orgwww.LDSBookLovers.com/Needle.html
