Becky Says...

July 2003

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July 31

I am thinking tonight of all those in North Carolina's Cabarrus County and its neighboring areas. These are the people most immediately affected by the closing of Pillowtex Corporation. This link is to the business section of The Charlotte Observer, where there are currently many articles on the subject.

I've been paying attention to the news and commentary on this. Several thousand people have lost jobs. It's one of the worst things to have ever happened to North Carolina's economy. And we will feel the repercussions of it for months to come. Not just in the immediate area, but statewide in terms of resources that will be needed to help those laid off, and monies the unemployed won't have to spend. Lots to contemplate.

People more in tune than I am with economic nuances are addressing the causes; I don't feel a need to do that. I do feel a need to express my sympathy to those who have lost their jobs, and who are looking to the future with some heightened measure of fear. May their immediate needs be swiftly met, and may their long-term goals be fulfilled.

July 30

I watched the PBS program on Watergate tonight. While I was around for the events as they transpired, I find it both interesting and educational to be reminded of them and of the changes that have happened since those days.

After watching that, I spent some time reading a church newsletter. This particular issue showed two things: trying to be uppity in writing is almost always a huge mistake, and churches in general should not be giving advice regarding estate planning documents.

The uppity bits were part of the estate advice. The page's writer was using large words, not necessarily correct in grammatical terms, exhorting people to make Wills. I agree that making Wills is a good thing. But the writer went into details that I know would get me in serious trouble for the unlicensed practice of law were I to suggest them to anyone.

And the writer asked something that I don't think I've ever heard of before this night: had people put a Christian Preamble in their Wills? That suggestion both horrifies and amuses me. I can just imagine the wording of such a preamble. "I, the maker of this Will, do believe in ...."

Oops, nope, there is an actual document called a Christian Preamble on the national church's foundation's website. It's so badly worded I'm not going to link to it. Let's just say it's cloying, shall we?

Of course, many people do wish to leave bequests to churches or to other charitable organizations. My quibble is certainly not with that, nor do I object when such organizations provide the complete legal name of the organization in case someone needs to know it for planning purposes. My quibble is with a church making suggestions about how the rest of the Will should be worded. Please consult an attorney for such things.

You may assume that I will not be taking the Preamble to work with me tomorrow, to ask that the attorneys revise my Will to include it---or even a variation of it. You would be correct in also assuming that I won't be asking my church to list the contents of my Will in my funeral bulletin.

For everything there is a place --- not to forget a season. You'd think churches would know that this far into the game. Ecclesiastes is in the Old Testament.

Text © copyright 2000-2003 Becky