ARE YOU PREPARED TO DIE?

Have you made preparations for your death?

Coroner BadgeDuring my time as a coroner, I experienced many cases where a death was sudden and totally unexpected. The deceased made no plans, gave no directions, and the family was left in utter devastation, grief, and turmoil, to sort out a mess.

Most estate plans address the basics like wills, insurance, and funeral arrangements, but they don’t think of two things that will bite your family, big time, if not planned for.

1.  Your death must be supported by two legal documents.

Death CertificateThese are your Registration of Death (ROD), commonly called the Death Certificate, and your Medical Certificate of Death (MCD) which families rarely see. Your ROD is the opposite of your Birth Certificate.  Your MCD is a different thing. It states the cause of your death and can get quite complicated. That’s why authorities don’t want your family trying to interpret it. Your MCD can only be signed by your family doctor if your death classification is Natural, or by the coroner having jurisdiction where your death is not natural (Accident, Suicide, Homicide, or Undetermined) or… if you don’t have a family physician. No exceptions. When your cause of death can’t be immediately determined and awaits autopsy/toxicology results, a coroner can issue an interim certificate and release your body, however your estate legalities can’t be dealt with until the final MCD is done. This can be hastened by making sure you have a family physician.

2.  Your body can only be released to your legal Next-Of-Kin.

Funeral homeIf your NOK can’t be determined or located, your body has to lay in the morgue till this gets straightened out. All jurisdictions have an NOK designation list, starting with estate executor, spouse, oldest child, sibling, etc. Where this gets really messy is where spouses aren’t legally defined (common-law arrangements don’t apply, regardless of the length of time together) or the legal NOK is known, but can’t be found.

Grave siteDo everyone a favour. Get a family doctor and make sure your NOK is clearly identified. Same goes for someone who you’re the primary NOK to.  And here’s a really good primer / checklist on death preparation from the University of California that covers all else.

atyourservice.ucop.edu/forms_pubs/misc/prepinevit.pdf

So look after these loose ends today.

You don’t want to wait till you’re dead.

DO YOU BELIEVE JESUS IS SUPERNATURAL?

Whether you’re Christian or not, you have to behold the enormous impact Jesus of Nazareth continues to have on humanity.

JCTwenty-one centuries after his recorded birth, approximately 2.2 billion souls adhere to Christianity; a mainstay being their belief that Jesus possessed supernatural abilities. The religion asks you to accept the Articles of Faith – the Immaculate Conception, the Miracles, direct communication with the Divine, and the Resurrection. All of these require your acceptance that Jesus was, and continues to be, a supernatural entity. The payback of your faith is everlasting life for your soul.

So what, exactly, does supernatural mean? Without checking with Webster, I’d say it’s events for which there appears no natural, scientific explanation. Much of our understanding of science comes from operating in our timeline. 2,000 years ago the PC I’m writing this on, and the Internet connection you’re receiving it through, would be mind-blowing. We’d probably get stoned for Blogging.

3D1Over the past two years, I did a lot of investigation into the supernatural while writing No Witnesses To Nothing. The novel’s based on a true-crime story where many believe paranormal intervention occurred, as there’s no natural, scientific explanation for what went down during a police operation on a frozen Canadian Yukon lake, 27 years ago.

My research into the science and spirituality behind the human soul took me into the worlds of organized religion, First Nations mythology, Shamanism, consciousness, and quantum physics. I confirmed there’s a lot of really weird shit that goes down which science sucks at explaining, but there’s continual scientific progress being made into understanding all kinds of fascinating things.

Higgs BosonThis year, the Higgs Boson confirmation bust the quantum door wide-open in our understanding how the sub-atomic communicates – some call it the ‘God Particle’. Another little gem is in DNA research with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) explaining how genetic code realignment at the quantum level accounts for how chameleons and cuttlefish camouflage – they think themselves into shifting shape.

Christ on CrossI believe that the human soul exists, and I made an attempt to scientifically & spiritually explain how the soul works. But I gotta admit that it comes down to faith, just as 1/3 of humanity accepts that Jesus Christ is supernatural and I respect that.

What do you think? Have I been drinking the Cool-Aid?

I’m dying to hear your words.

TOP 5 REGRETS OF THE DYING

What will you regret on your deathbed?

DeathbedJustin Zorati posted this article on Donald Miller’s Storyline Blog. I want to share it with you, so you can share with others.

Bronnie Ware is an Australian palliative care nurse. As many of her patients approached their final days, Bronnie asked their regrets, or if they would have done things differently. She was so moved by the phenomenal clarity of vision at the end of life, that she documented their responses.

Here’s what she wrote:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

dreams“This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Free“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

“Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Happiness“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”

What’s your greatest regret so far? 

What will you set out to achieve or change before you die?

Internet regret

Because one day you’re going to be on your deathbed.