When the Saints go marching in

I'll just go ahead and tell you that this blog post will have no flow to it. I'm simply writing down what goes on in my head. It's what I do here on this blog. So if you are looking for a good read- no guarantees. But you will certainly know that my head is full of junk right now. Crazy junk. And I am getting it out in front of you. So bless you if you read this post to the end.
Here's where all of this craziness started:
About 3 years ago, Evan and I took Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey at our church. It was awesome and life changing. It totally made sense and got us on a path toward becoming debt free (which I hope will happen by the end of this year). But something happened during that class that is currently making me ponder my existence on Earth (3 years later). In one of the lessons and on his radio show, Dave Ramsey mentions getting a Will. Well ok, Dave said we need one so why not I thought. So I went to the website he suggested, picked the plan he suggested and paid around $70 for a DIY Will kit.
The Will documents came electronically to my email. I opened the email just like I would have opened any other email. I opened the basic Will document, filled out our names at the top and stopped. And I have not touched that email or document since then. Because I have not been ready to put down on a piece of paper that there might be a chance that one or both of us would die. We are in our early thirties. We made it past the crazy high school and college years. We don't smoke and only occasionally drink. And other than a few minor health issues, we have been pretty healthy as a whole. So why do we need a will?
We need it because life can be gone in a second. You might be reading this thinking that I am talking about Evan having cancer. Yes, my husband having cancer does make things like having a Will and life insurance more of a bigger thought. But several other events have made impressions on me lately that have me thinking about "the end".
I'm sure I have exhausted most of you with my story about the guy I watched die from a motorcycle accident on the interstate one morning. There was a rumor that he lived, but I later found out that he did in fact die. Honestly, I was hoping he did. Because his quality of life was going to be nothing had he lived. His head was split completely open and he had little brain activity when they life-flighted him away. I was the first to say that this guy set himself up for the wreck. He was driving way too fast on a "crotch-rocket" motorcycle and was weaving in and out of traffic like a crazy person. But did he leave his house that morning knowing it was his last day on Earth. I think not. I think he thought, like me, that he was young and dying was a long way off.
And then it happened again. Last week, a 30 year old man was riding a motorcycle about a half mile from our house when he died. A car did not see him, pulled out in front of him and that was it. He laid the bike down trying to avoid the collision and as a result got run over. I'm certain he did not plan on dying that day since he tried avoiding it at the last minute and couldn't.
Of course there is also the blog I read about a woman who is 31 whose husband went to the hospital with the Swine Flu and died. Completely out of the blue. Leaving her with 4 kids and a life to conduct on her own.
And there are the countless stories that I have heard that prove that life is not predictable. It doesn't matter what age we are or what kind of health we have. We could be gone at any moment.
And I don't say all of this to be morbid or depressing. I say it because I want to try my best not to take my life for granted. I want to stop being mad about crazy crap. I want to take my kids to a baseball game even when I know that they should not stay out that late on a school night. I want to have fun and enjoy life and spend money (responsibly of course) and do things with my family as much as we can. And I want to get a Will done so that my kids don't have to deal with any extra drama if something were to happen to their parents. It's the right thing to do.
Finally, I want to leave you with the understanding that I don't fear death at all. In fact, what better place to be than Heaven- which is where I know I'll be because I have given it all to God.
I'll leave you with a fun fact about me. You'll probably laugh because it fits my crazy personality. That even at my life's end, I plan on being a little different.
When I die, I want a green burial. There are only a few places in Georgia that allow for this, so I know that it might be a pain. But I really don't want to be in a fancy casket with crazy satin lining. I think a pine box would be nice. And I really only want minimal embalming- like none if possible. And I do not want to be "viewed" after I die. I will be dead and there is no reason to look at me. As a matter of fact, I would come back and haunt anyone that looked at me and said "Oh doesn't she look good!" after I am dead. And when the pine box is put in the ground, I do not want a tent over my grave site. For I want nothing between me and God. I want his sun to shine down upon my grave.
So there. Crazy huh. Life and death by Lori Bryant. It's ok to scratch your head now. And I'd be disappointed if there is not at least one comment, even if it is from Evan, about how this blog is very random.
PS- Don't ride a crotch-rocket.