It has been almost two weeks since Nana passed away. There remain lots of detailed issues that need to be resolved on her behalf.
All of the friends and family that made contributions to the "Nana Memorial" need to be acknowledged. That means lots of "thank you" cards. The money needs to be directed to the proper places.
The financial affairs of Nana need to be finalized. It sounds easy but someone has to figure out her monthly expenses (starting with her checkbook) and then estimate expenditures up to the date of her death. It involves lots guesses.
Don't forget notifying important agencies. Social Security. Medicare and Medicade. Banks. Utilities. Some of it requires a Certificate of Death to prove legitimate action.
The Funeral Home needs to be paid. Nana had the foresight to set up a "funeral trust" into which money was placed to cover final expenses. The question is "was enough money put into the trust"?
The IRS doesn't forget about Nana. She is obligated to file a tax return for 2009. Collecting necessary information to file on her behalf sounds easy but with all the medical programs that she was involved with, it could be very complicated. Nana only lived 6 days during 2010 but my guess is the IRS is going to require a final return at the end of this year. Nana is probably smiling because she don't have to worry about the IRS any more. I wonder, if she doesn't file, will they put her in jail?
Nana didn't have too many personal possessions anymore, but I'm sure there were memories attached to some items. In some cases her wishes for disbursement were known. In some cases a guess has to be made.
I know Mom has begun sorting out many of Nana's pictures. Nana cherished family pics especially those containing Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren. I think some distribution of the photos will be made.
Finally there is filling the void created when anyone special leaves us. It is the memories that sustain us.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that all our lives are intertwined with complexities of the world. There are lots of detailed pieces at the end. The good news is that the departed no longer have to worry about them.
Love,
Dad