It's Still February...

I’ll be the first to admit February is my least favorite month of the year. It’s the month my mother died and the month Jim was diagnosed with cancer. It’s the month we usually have snow in Kansas—this year is no exception, and it’s the month I usually put up with at least one major appliance going haywire—again, this year is no exception.

February is also the month that makes me feel as though winter will never end. At the moment, the snow and ice are heavy on our power lines and newscasters are using their cheeriest voices to tell us we may lose power as the heavy, wet snow continues to fall. Why do weather forecasters always sound the happiest when the weather is at its worst?

Okay, back to February. Since this is my month of gloom and doom, I thought it a good time to share something I heard on a morning talk show some time back—probably February 1st. This is going to sound downright dismal to some of you, but bear with me because it really is important. A young woman was talking about the sudden, unexpected, accidental death of her husband and the difficulty she experienced as she attempted to locate all the information she would need to complete paperwork, and make claims for insurance—it took her years to sort out the paperwork.

Because of her difficult experience, she set up a website. You may find the name a bit off-putting, but you’ll remember it—and the information is valuable. The website is Get Your Sh*t Together. On the website, you'll find free documents to download and wonderful information as well as a monthly blog that will nudge you toward your goals.

Many of you (I hope) have Wills, but there is a wonderful checklist of things that many of us don’t even think about. Passwords for computers and cell phones, online bank account passwords, what automatic payments come out of your bank account, where are your insurance policies and what are the numbers. Go out there and take a peek at all the free information she has for you—and then DO IT FOR YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS. If you want to watch the interview with Chanel Reynolds (the creator of the website) you can see it on the CBS website.

For those of you who are wondering "Where in the World" is Rosie right now, she forwarded this picture taken in Sedona, AZ yesterday with her good friends Peg (on the left) and Bev (on the right).

And now for my new Writes of Passage author introduction!

Many of you are already acquainted with Carol Cox since she has graciously filled in for me during my absences from the blog. Carol, her husband Dave, who pastors two churches, and their daughter, Katie live in Arizona. Her son, Kevin, is married and he and his wife, Samantha (Sam), have blessed Carol with two darling granddaughters.

Carol has been published since the mid 1990’s and has authored more than twenty books. Her latest, Trouble in Store, will be available in June. In the meantime, if you haven’t already enjoyed Love in Disguise, do give it a read and discover Carol’s wit shining through the pages.

Please join me in welcoming Carol as a permanent contributor to Writes of Passage!