I started an Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life album over three years ago, but didn't get far. I've redone the layouts in the past week and made them better fit with my All About Me Album.

Journaling Reads:
An Advanced Directive used to be known as a Living Will. I became familiar with the idea when both of my parents completed one. And, then came the day when my father had to comply with my mother’s wishes as expressed in her Living Will. Time goes on, and although I thought of Living Wills occasionally when I thought of my mother, it wasn’t really brought home until we lost Lisa, our oldest daughter. She had communicated her wishes to Andrea and to me after a hospital stay for respiratory failure where she spent an extended time in ICU on a ventilator. We never imagined we’d be presented with a situation so soon where we needed to respect her wishes as well. This was such a difficult time and an agonizing decision for the entire family. But, I know that as heart-wrenching as it was, the decision was a bit easier knowing that Lisa had asked us to follow her wishes. Lisa made her own wishes known so she could take the decision-making burden off our family. It was her decision. Now, after having recently struggled through this difficult time, I know I need to take the time to complete my own Advanced Directive. I never want my family to agonize over what they should do. I just want them to know when to let me go. I want to follow Lisa’s loving example.

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