By RONDA GRAFF

August is National Make-A-Will Month. It’s also National Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month and National Sandwich Month but most of us don’t need to be prompted to think about them.

On the other hand, wills and other end of life issues tend to be pushed to another day or kicked down the road or for most people, postponed until it is too late.

Discussing end-of-life topics can be difficult and emotional. But ultimately, it is something that each and every single one of us will have to deal with, whether it is for a family member, a parent, a sibling. Or it is something someone else will have to deal with on our behalf. 

Yet, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can and should take steps while we are able to have things in place for our eventual passing. And since we never know when that is going to be, there is no time like the present. 

Maybe end-of-life issues aren’t coming up in your everyday conversations but it isn’t that far of a stretch to subtly bring in these topics. 

Perhaps you are cleaning around your house, dusting around a crystal bowl in your dining room. As your spouse wanders by, you mention that you would like to start getting rid of a few things in your house because you don’t need them anymore. 

This leads to the statement: “We should start thinking about what we are going to do with all our stuff some day.”

Which leads to the next statement: “Do we really want to burden our children with all this stuff?”

Which gets you to the last statement: “We really need to get our affairs in order before we die.”

O.K. The conversation will likely not go from point A to point B that quickly but you get the idea. 

The topic of our passing should not be taboo and when it does come up in a conversation, whether with family or friends, it should not be dismissed. Instead, it is an opportunity to have those frank, candid discussions. 

It happened recently in my book club. I cannot remember exactly how the topic of wills, obituaries and death came up. Most likely, because a character in the most recent book faced the situation but our conversation turned toward who did and who didn’t have their will done. Who did and didn’t have end-of-life documents prepared. 

The room was evenly split with those who had their will done. A few had other documents prepared. But no one was completely confident that everything would be ready upon their passing.

So we embraced the situation and decided to make the topic a focus of the group, tackling one item at a time.

The easy button was writing our own obituary. I have had my obit written for several years but knew I needed to revisit it, if for nothing else to shorten it and update any new life events.

So recently, I led a session on writing your obituary with my book club. After all, who knows better than you on what should be in your obituary.

How many people can relate to writing an obituary from scratch for a loved one and you didn’t know all the answers? Such as where the person graduated from high school, all the places they lived during their lifetime, or the names of long-lost aunts and uncles. 

And those are just the facts. Can another person write about the truly meaningful things in your life? 

While the focus was on having an obit that listed all the basics, the purpose of the session was actually “Living a Life Worth Remembering.” 

To help get the juices flowing, writing prompts focused on how you want people to remember you and how to live your life now to create an obituary people want to read later.

At the end of the hour, some obituaries were completely written. Some were just bullet points on the page but facts and words were written down. Others struggled to figure out which name they wanted to use, whether their given name or their nick name. (We opted for both.)

Regardless of what was on the piece of paper, it was something. Their loved ones will not have to start from scratch and have some ideas of what to include not if but when we pass. 

With the obits at least started, our next topic will be writing or updating our wills.

We are all busy. The days, months and years fly by. But this is your yearly reminder to finally sit down and create a last will and testament. The process isn’t as long or tedious as we anticipate.

And there are three great reasons to motivate you to write your will this August.

1. It’s an important legal document that everyone should have. It’s a powerful document that lets you distribute your property and protect your loved ones after you pass away.

2. It provides peace of mind to you and your family. They make life (and death) easier for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.

3. It lets you create a legacy that lasts beyond your lifetime. There are ways to continue making a positive impact on this world long after you leave it. One of these ways is by donating to a charity in your will.

This month, have that ice cream, make that sandwich, pet your dog. But also consider taking the time to write a will or make sure your current documents are up to date. It is one of the best and easiest ways to show your loved ones that you care for them.