Daily Gratitude: When death is upon us, there are only certain things we can control. One of which is preparing all the necessary documents ahead of time. 70% of people in the US do not have a valid will or trust. The best gift you can give your loved ones is to ensure all the “t”s are crossed and the “I”s are dotted. I don’t know about you but when I used to hear the word “advanced directive”, I thought it was just one piece of paper that I had to fill out. But guess what? It’s many documents depending on your circumstances. For instance do you have a document designating your “digital proxy”? I’ve wondered about this when I’ve seen active social media accounts of people we all know have passed away. What about your pets? Did you know you should designate backups to your medical proxy (medical power of attorney)? Do you know what documents have to be notarized and which just need witnesses. There are different papers for each state so you need to know about that. Is your next of kin in another state? This and so many questions. Here are two websites to check out: https://endoflifearts.com and 5 Wishes. In Texas you can also check out the Texas health and human services website. One of my 2025 goals is to have all my end of life documents created.