Thanks to Fling user, Pauline Tait, for taking time to write a personal tribute to Final Fling for the job it has done to help people engage with end of life planning. Take it away, Pauline.

Thanks Final Fling

“I would like to thank Barbara for creating Final Fling, for opening up rational discussions about death and dying and providing the tools to plan for the inevitable.

“In 2012 I lost my beloved Dad. As his eldest child and executor, it fell to me to organise his funeral. He had been both mentally and physically ill for a few years but, prior to that, in a series of conversations we had in effect planned his funeral. The conversations began as a joke but turned into planning sessions where he thought through and decided what he might want to happen. I cannot emphasise how much stress this saved me from as I was able to organise his funeral with absolute confidence that it was all in line with his wishes.

Losing my Dad made me think

“Losing my Dad made me think and read more deeply about death and dying and I discovered Final Fling. I found the information and resources very practical and thought-provoking. The content was refreshingly honest and has helped me to think and plan for the deaths of loved ones and indeed my own death and funeral.

“I still have my Mum. She is ninety years old and has mild dementia. I have tried and failed in the past to open the conversations I had with my Dad. She did not want to talk about her death or funeral at all and I have respected that. She is now past the point of being able to make any decisions so I have made a draft funeral plan which I want to discuss with my three siblings. At present they do not want to talk about it.

Putting our affairs in order

“My husband and I are in our early sixties and currently in good health. We are in the process of trying to put all our affairs in order. This includes: updating our Wills; sorting our finances; clearing out the clutter from our house; planning our funerals. Our only son is our Executor and we want it to be as easy as possible for him once we are both gone. I feel I have been able to work through this in a very pragmatic way when emotions are not running high and no one is ill.

“So, thanks Barbara for creating Final Fling. Pauline”