Comments on: Me, my mother and death

By: sablonneuse

sablonneuse — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:53:21 +0000

yes, Ronni’s post got me wondering about a ‘last post’ but I have no idea what to write. I think I’ll just have to instruct my daughter to let everyone know.
My mum and grandmother were superstitious about the subject of death so it’s left me a bit uneasy about the subject even though I realise it’s not logical.

By: Shirl

Shirl — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:22:28 +0000

Great post, Claude! Thank you for sharing!

By: Bob F

Bob F — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:41:18 +0000

In the US, if you don’t have a will, your assets go into probate, which means that the State, not your children, determine how your estate is divided. A trust is an even better way of ensuring that your children and loved ones actually receive what you want them to have. I recommend minimally having a will.

I didn’t know your mother was so superstitious, Claude. I still hold a fond memory of her warm invitation for me to come by for dinner at your parents’ apartment back in June 1971, I believe. Both she and your father were always very kind to me.

By: Ronni Bennett

Ronni Bennett — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:07:59 +0000

Oops. In all my thinking about final blog posts, it has only just now occurred to me that I CANNOT have the final word thanks to Comments. Tee hee. Too bad for me.

By: Ronni Bennett

Ronni Bennett — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:06:45 +0000

Superstitions are powerful things to overcome. But I still urge people to write a final blog post. It’s an opportunity to say what blogging and blog friends have meant to us and, as I said in my post, it hard to resist – at least for me – having the final word…

By: Claude

Claude — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:38:19 +0000

Having only one child, I haven’t written a will. Not that I find I’m too young, but as I only have one child, all I own will, I guess, go to her. And maybe I am sort of superstitious…

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:19:31 +0000

Your mum reminds me a lot of my former friend’s Sicilian mother ! My parents were not so “superstitious” about death, but found difficult to talk about it though. Notes like yours, and the way people think and talk about death help me cope with the losses I have had to suffer and with the idea of my own death. I had never thought of writing a last note (well I’m not 50 yet, and that may be slightly pessimistic), but I have written an official will. This is all the more important than I have no children I think.

By: kenju

kenju — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:00:37 +0000

My mother-in-law was just the same, so she and my father-in-law both died without wills in place. To write a will was to invite death (to them). What a backward attitude! and how much extra strife it can cause in a family.

By: naomi dagen bloom

naomi dagen bloom — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:22:45 +0000

claude, my spouse has described how own mother who came from the “old country” would do the same three-time pooh. thanks for the link to the jewish virtual library which was new to me.

reading ronni’s wonderful post, i was struck by how comfortably people could discuss arranging their final post. when i’ve tried to engage readers in talk about moving to retirement places the response is less free. of course, the real test would be an ability to write as well as ronni!

By: Kay Dennison

Kay Dennison — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:17:21 +0000

Interesting, Claude!! I haven’t given much thought to dying despite events in my life. I only know that when the day comes, it probably won’t matter too much what anyone does with my remains or even if there’s a service. If I truly believe what I profess, I’ll be somewhere better — or worse and there’s not much I can do about it. Cynical? Maybe.