Running head: WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND
DONE
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When It’s All Said and Done
Aliyah Ritchwood
Liberty University
WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND
DONE
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The Importance of Planning
On the topic of death, we all cringe. Not one of us, for the most part, wants to die. Even
right now as I think of how it makes me feel, I’m uneasy. I never really thought about the
importance of planning because in my mind, I’m going to live a long life and I have plenty of
time to think about dying when I’m old and feeble. But in reality, we all know that’s not true.
We don’t know when it will be our time to go. Me telling myself that this is the case is maybe,
my way of coping with death. Pushing it out 50 years or so helps me not be so scared of it.
Death is one of my biggest fears. Simply ceasing to exist, scares me. Sometimes I try to imagine
a world without me in it and I’m terrified. Having a plan in effect for when it is my time would
not only benefit me, but my family as well. It will make sure that my wishes are met, and will
take the load of trying to figure it out amongst my family. It will make sure that financially they
are taken care of as well as my final burial costs. No family wants to be worried about money at
a time of mourning. It’s like that way too often.
Advance Directives and Worldview
Experiencing a “good death” depends on what you believed in in your life. Even when a
woman gives birth to a child, some decide whether they want to give birth naturally or if they
want to be relieved of the intense pain that bearing a child brings. When I had my only child I
decided that I didn’t want to make pain a part of it. I wanted to focus on the child not the pain.
So when it’s time for my life to end, if I had a choice I would not want to be in any kind of pain.
How can I focus on my legacy and say goodbye to my family if I’m in constant pain?
Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So
then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
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Sample Plan
My last days should be filled with love and reflection. I want to be able to reflect on my
life and legacy when my last days present themselves. I want to let my children know to not be
sad but to celebrate my life. I want to reiterate all the lessons and values I’ve instilled in them. I
don’t want to suffer at all. I want to be pain free so I can focus on what’s most important,
family.
If I need to be kept alive for any reason I want my children to decide. In the event that I am
mostly brain dead I would want to be let go. I had a younger brother who died from meningitis,
he was 99% brain dead by the time I got to his hospital bed. I would not want to be kept alive
like that. But if there is any chance of my survival I would want them to make the decision. If I
am very old though I would rather them let me go naturally. We are all organisms and were not
meant to live forever. I would tell my children to value life and when it’s all said and done, to be
happy. Not to let anyone change who they are for their own benefits. And to trust in God at all
costs. Lead a life of kindness, and smile through the pains of this world. I would leave this
world in love.
Final Thoughts
Thinking about the end of my life has been emotional to say the least, but its mandatory
to invest in a plan for it. I don’t want my family to have to bear the burden because I didn’t
have a plan. I have to face the fact that I am not immortal. Nor am I wonder woman. Even
though in
my head I am! But in reality, all men must die. How you lived is what matters most. Leave
a legacy of love and kindness. And everything else will fall into place.
WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND
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WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND
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