With Beth Here

For the next three days Beth and I powered through a long list of tasks. We called friends and family, we read through Dad's trust notebook, we opened his safety deposit box and went through many items in his room. On the phone, we learned there were three, not two, insurance policies with one company. There was a small policy with another. We unearthed evidence of an annuity which explained why Dad was getting a monthly deposit from that company. The annuity was guaranteed for life, no matter how long he lived. Chances are it was exhausted long ago. We realized Dad hadn't known his mother's middle name. Who knows? Maybe she didn't have one. We found copies of his birth certificate in his safe deposit box and then we learned we'd need them for certain paperwork----more evidence of incredible organization. Beth was enormously helpful. By the time she left on Tuesday evening, our list had been whittled down. Laura came over to help and had colored Beth's hair with very positive results. I got Beth to the airport in plenty of time. For her, having Dad so far away made this easier to accept. She was prepared for his death. There were no tears. There was no surprise. The missing won't be as vivid as she wasn't used to having him around.