The stack on the counter is not about money. It’s about being handed a job she never did while she’s the most tired she’s ever been.
Show up with folders. Leave with a written list of three calls and the name of one attorney.
Sit With Her at the Paperwork Table
Probate, taxes, the auto-pay he set up, the bill from a hospital nobody understands. Two hours at her kitchen table with folders beats any sympathy card.
What you'll need
- A box of file folders, a marker, and a legal pad
- Her mail, all of it, including the pile she's been avoiding
- A short list of what needs a professional, written down before you leave
What to say
Bring me the mail you haven't opened. We'll sort it into three piles and I'll write down who to call. Two hours, that's it.
Pitfalls
- Sort and list. Don't sign anything, don't move money, and don't give legal or tax advice.
- Write the phone numbers down for her. Don't make the calls in her name.
- Come back in a month. The second pile always shows up.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2