There are many factors to consider when planning for your retirement or taking on caregiving responsibilities for a loved one. Throughout 2020 LivWell Seniors will be featuring a “Pillars of Planning” series in each quarterly liveWELL newsletter to help guide and direct families through their journey in discovering the best options for their unique situation.
The 4 Pillars

The first pillar –  Financial – was discussed in the Winter 2020 issue, and the second pillar – Legal – was discussed in the Spring 2020 issue. This quarter, we will discuss the equally important pillar of planning – LEGACY.
When we reflect on our lives and accomplishments, we all want the script to be about a life well lived. For each of us, when our work here is done and we receive the call, it will be an offer we cannot refuse. It will be an appointment from which we will not be returning. This assignment comes with a huge sign-on bonus—a reunion with family and friends we have not seen in a long time. Job security is exactly 110 percent. Our new mission takes us to a wonderful place. 
Before all of this, how do each of us plan for our gift of giving back? We wish such good things for our family, but I want you to take a minute and think about how we each connect with brilliancy of our own spirit. Always remember that the obstacles in the path of life are not obstacles, but they ARE the path. I believe we are each connected to the persons and things on this earth. We take the landscape of our life and write a legacy that represents our beliefs and the success story of our lives. Authoring our legacy starts with the process of creating new paths for those left behind and the erosion of our path into the nearby journey of others. How does all of this happen? Who makes the decision of our Legacy?  
It should be you!
The following is a story of one of our resource partners who has given us permission 
to share her story.

What is your legacy?
Legacy may seem to be a word used in a different generation, but its purpose is still very relevant. Your legacy could mean far more than you realize. It is never easy to put plans in place for when we pass away, but the burden you release from your heirs is enormous when you take the time to do so.
Several years ago, my sister was being treated very successfully for pancreatic cancer although we both knew there would be no recovery. Two years before she passed away,  
I went to visit her, and she handed me a very plain, benign, green two-pocket folder. I had  a questioning look on my face when she handed it to me. Its contents brought me to tears.
When I opened the folder, on the left side I found a copy of her will and trust, health care power of attorney, living will, insurance policy and a list of all of her bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts. She also included information for all of the companies she paid for utilities, homeowners association, etc.
On the right side of the folder, I found a CD of the music she wanted played at her memorial, a receipt from prepaid arrangements at the funeral home, a receipt for payment and location of her burial urn, her list of specific items to go to special people, appraisals of her jewelry, art, furniture, etc., I also found a list of names she wanted me to call when she passed away including close friends, doctors, nurses, and hospice. She had a Ph.D. in oncology nursing and published many papers. However, there is one paper she wrote that is the most exceptional of them all—she had written her own obituary. There were things in her obituary that I did not even know about her! She was telling people about herself in her own words and not mine—that is the heart of a legacy.
Tucked into an envelope and paper-clipped to one of the pockets were business cards from her oncologist, hospice, eye surgeon, oncology clinic, accountant, attorney, financial planner, funeral home, and church. I looked up at her with tears in my eyes because 
she had just lifted an enormous burden from my shoulders. She gave me what I now call,  “The Greatest Gift of All©.”

Contact LivWell Seniors at:

www.livwellseniors.com
info@livwellseniors.com
319-250-1577

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 liveWELL newsletter.