Getting older necessitates going to more funerals and making more visits to funeral homes. When we do so, the body of our dead friend or relative is still here. Their clothes are still in their closet and dresser. Their money is in their bank accounts, or has been transferred to someone else’s. Their vehicle is, or vehicles are, still parked somewhere. Stocks, bonds, and real estate haven’t disappeared. Possessions usually haven’t been sold. Heirs are wondering, “What are we going to do with all this?”
Many times, we’re tempted to ask “How much is the estate worth?”. Some try to discover, “How much insurance was there?” Most want to know “How much is the house worth?” Those at visitations and funerals wonder “How much did he owe?”, and “How much will the other assets bring?” We may wonder, “How much was the net worth?”, “How much will the taxes be?”, and “How much will the family get after the taxes are paid?”
The wealthier the deceased person, the more people will precede more questions by “How much . . . ”
We may be surprised to realize how much “How much” is in our thoughts and conversations about the deceased and their possessions. “How much” is a phrase we want defined in terms of dollars, or whatever medium of exchange is in use.
Few thoughts and conversations about the deceased are devoted to wondering about the far more important question, “Did his/her soul get into Heaven? Did it pass Judgment? Will mine?”
We are accustomed to absorbing and categorizing information about money and things. We are less comfortable thinking and conversing about souls. This fear comes from deep within. We are worried about our own soul. Talking about the immortal fate of other souls is an uncomfortable reminder that we don’t know where our own souls are going.
We can work to overcome that fear. When our own funeral draws near, we can instruct our Executor to read, pass out, post on a web site, or email an address where there’s a copy of our will and all applicable appraisals and financial statements, so that anyone who’s interested could quickly find out everything they think is important. Each page of such documents should be clearly inscribed:
“Now, you no longer need to waste time speculating about my assets. I have asked that this information be provided to save you the time you’d have otherwise spent asking the interminable “How much . . ?” questions. Please use the time I have saved you to, first, think about where my soul has gone; secondly, spend a little time asking God to forgive my sins and allow my soul into Heaven; and thirdly, to think about where you want to go when your time is up and what you are going to do to make it more likely that you’ll get there.”
