The Hard Stuff Just Got a Little Easier

In my last post, Talking About the Hard Stuff, I discussed all those grown-up things we are supposed to deal with, such as living wills, advanced health directives, and so on.

Your comments showed a common "Yikes!" reaction. Yes, we all know this is something we should do, and no, most of us haven't gotten around to it. I want you to know that just because I wrote about the need for this kind of planning doesn't mean that I have filled out the forms myself. I have that vague, underlying guilt that I don't seem to be brave enough to confront some scary decisions.

However, there is help out there--and believe me, it practically has to walk in my door for me to get started on this project. That good Beez came across a bunch of legal forms under our library's online reference section. Provided as a part of their Infotrac subscription that is available to all their patrons, the Gale Legal Forms suite contains every kind of legal form you can imagine, and some you probably can't--leases, name changes, something called a "pour over" will, and so on. There are also entire handbooks available for download on pet law, patent trademark law, paternity law, and elder law, just to name a few.

For those of you in the Las Cruces area, just go to the Branigan Library website, click on "Reference," then "Databases," then "Gale Legal Forms." You will need to put in your library card number to gain access, but we all know you have one of those. Right?

If you don't live near here, be sure to check out the services available from your public library, either online or at the library itself. I am always surprised at the range of helpful assistance offered by libraries. I'm sure they can either provide the forms you need or show you how to get them for free.

Just download and print--now that is something I can do. Perhaps I'll even get brave enough to read over the forms and, who knows? We might even get them filled out and filed with our doctor's office and hospital of choice. I'll let you know!