Where's My Stuff

I've been thinking about writing a book for some time called 'Where's My Stuff', intended to be a fill-in-the-blank book for people to specify where important documents (such as life insurance policies, bank records, etc) are stored, along with passwords for online records.

I saw this letter to Dear Abby recently, and it rings true...

Dear Abby: My beautiful wife and I were a team for many years. She was the brains and I was the brawn. She took care of business matters, taxes and household duties. I did the repairs, vehicle upkeep and took care of the lawn and our garden. She was a computer whiz, while I remained computer illiterate.

As we advanced in age, I made preparations for my demise. I had everything perfectly planned. Then the unexpected happened. My wife died suddenly. I was devastated. Then I realized I was also totally lost.

She had gone completely paperless. I had no knowledge of anything. Some things were filed in the computer and others in the filing cabinet. I didn't know her email address, any account numbers and no passwords. All business transactions stopped completely, and my credit rating plummeted.

It has been a year since her death and I'm still trying to get everything corrected. Please remind your readers that the word "assume" can be a real meanie.

--- Somewhere in Texas

Dear Somewhere: What a sobering letter. Usually the surviving spouse is the wife who was left in the dark. I'm glad you wrote, and I hope your letter will be a wake-up call to couples about sharing information.

A heavenly lifeguard (Reprinted from First Magazine)

I saw this in latest edition of my wife's First Magazine, and thought I would reprint it. 

Tell me what you think....

"When my son, Donovan, was 3 years old, we moved to Florida for my husband's job. One of the things I loved about our new home was that it was within walking distance to the beach. One afternoon I decided to take Donovan to the shore to build his very first sand castle.

"As the sky turned a dusky amber, I was gathering our things to head home when Donovan darted toward the roaring waves. Despite my shouting for hm to stop, he raced into the surf and was immediately tugged under.

"With my heart in my throat, I frantically screamed and dove into the water trying to find him. Then out of nowhere, Donovan popped up to the foamy surface and I gathered him in my arms. Tears streaked my face as I asked him what happened. He simply replied, "The blond lady lifted me up.'

"The following day, I relayed the harrowing tale to Donovan's new day-care teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman. As I told her his puzzling remark about a mysterious blond woman saving him, I saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Suddenly, Donovan pointed to a framed photo on her desk. A pretty blond teenage girl smiled back at us. 'That's the lady, Mama!' he exclaimed.

"Mrs. Zimmerman looked at Donovan with awe. 'That's my daughter, Joy, who passed away from leukemia last year. She was smart, sweet and truly loved her job...she was the lifeguard at your beach.'"

- Liz Mars, 38, Clearwater, FL