Make A Plan…

I received the sad news over the weekend that a friend passed away from cancer. My parents and brother especially were friendly with him. They would camp at Brainerd International Raceway with him annually for Nationals, and he was from the small town I grew up in.

I fondly remember him telling me once when I saw him at the local VFW that when he saw my little self come up to the high school in 7th grade (ours was grades 7-12), he made a vow that no one was going to mess with me. (He was a senior when I went over to the high school). I was tiny for my age, and also at least a year younger than anyone else in the building. I had no idea until 30+ years later that he had my back. It’s something I won’t ever forget. But that’s the kind of person he was. There is no one on the planet that can speak poorly of him. He made everyone laugh and was famous for his crazy antics (and outfits) and was a great dad.

He was only 50 years old. He’d had cancer for a bit, and everyone thought he’d beaten it. Then, all of a sudden, he was dying, and dying quickly. When I asked about his funeral arrangements, I was told he didn’t have a plan. I was saddened to hear this. But not surprised. No one wants to ponder their mortality, and he was probably feeling great one minute and then so ill that he didn’t have the capacity to think about this.

I can’t express enough the importance of having a plan in place. There are stories every day about people who pass away who do not, and they leave their families guessing as to what they would want. Even if you think you’re healthy, or if you don’t have anything worth making a plan for, think about putting one together. Your family will thank you. And if you’re reading this, take a moment and look at the life insurance, pension and 401k beneficiaries you currently have on file. I’ll bet they need to be updated.

Fly high, Jake. You’ll be missed.