A Gift for When I'm Gone
A Simple End-of-Life Organizer to Help Loved Ones Find What Matters Most
The night before I leave on vacation plays out like a scene in the movie Groundhog Day.
The same question swirls around in my brain, and a small panic settles in the pit of my stomach.
What if something happens to us and we don’t return from vacation?
And then all the other turbo-charged thoughts arrive in full armor, clamoring for one-on-one time with my overwhelmed amygdala, while the same incessant thought pounds a syncopated rhythm into my brain.
Not one relative or close friend knows where we keep the following information:
Passwords
Insurance policies
Mortgage and property information
Not to mention:
Credit card info
Bank account info
Trust documents
Important contacts
And I’m quick to remind myself that no one even knows the password to my friendly iMac, nor how to get into the house if they need to.
These repetitive thoughts are a recent phenomenon. A few short years ago (seven, to be exact), I would breeze out of town and rarely give one tiny thought to any of the above concerns.
Not. One. Thought.
As with most things in life, we don’t see monumental change on the horizon. It often arrives without thunderous applause and leaves us quaking within the folds of grief, doubt, sadness, despair, and a myriad of other unwelcome emotions.
Well, that was my experience one early September afternoon, when I received the shocking news that my eldest brother had passed suddenly. Within the first few moments of hearing this news, I began to wonder if I would ever be able to catch my breath again in this lifetime.
What Loss and Grief Dialed High Taught Me
Losing my brother was the beginning of a lengthy journey through grief and loss. Four more elders passed within the following six years, each one etching a permanent piece within my stained-glass tapestry of grief.
And what did I learn?
Grief arrives in an infinite number of forms and carries its own weight and personality.
It can feel like 10,000 pounds pressing down on your chest, or it can simply render you helpless, bedridden, and completely exhausted.
And these are only two of the many ways it may show up in real time, demanding your full attention.
No matter how it arrives, no one escapes the loss of a loved one and the feelings it deposits in its wake, which often include:
Sadness dialed high
Fog-ridden hours, or days, or months
Frustration
Anger
Exhaustion
Inability to cope
When you are in the throes of intense grief, you do not have the bandwidth to deal with wonderings and worries around where Mom placed her important documents, or how to locate Dad’s bank accounts.
I wish to repeat that statement. You do not have the bandwidth.
When I looked back upon these stressful days of loss within my own life, two repetitive themes rose to the top:
Do not burden your loved ones with the worry of how best to honor your end-of-life wishes.
Give your loved ones the information they need, in the easiest format possible.
One of the kindest gifts you can leave behind for loved ones is the clarity of knowing how to honor your wishes, without wading through landfills of stress and worry.
A Gift for When I’m Gone
That is why I created something simple… something gentle… something that could truly help.
The call to create a quick, easy format for sharing important documents and end-of-life wishes became a quiet but steady pull I could not ignore.
I was not interested in creating a complicated 50+ page document that would most likely end up at the very bottom of someone’s “To Do When I’m Completely Bored” pile of excess paperwork.
Instead, I wondered…
Can I create a document that someone can complete in one afternoon?
Bingo. That felt 110% helpful and could bring immense relief to both the organizer and the people who would share the document.
Two wins in one.
And so began the creation of A Gift for When I’m Gone.
This digital download can be completed in one quiet afternoon and may become one of the most thoughtful gifts you leave behind.
Not only did I have wonderful fun creating these documents, but they also gently erased the incessant voices of worry every time I head out the door on vacation.
A Gift for When I’m Gone includes the following pages:
How to Complete this Kit in One Afternoon
Important People to Contact
Important Accounts (bank, insurance, retirement)
Passwords and Digital Accounts
Important Document Locations
Will
Insurance papers
Property deeds
Birth certificates
Safe deposit box
Password Manager location
Your End-of-Life Wishes
Memorial or Celebration of Life
Music or readings you love
Burial or cremation
Anything important you wish to be remembered
Notes for the People You Love (this is my most treasured section)
Notes & Reflections
Four Bonus Pages
• Where to Find This Guide
• A Few Final Thoughts
• A Final Note of Love
• Blank-lined page
The Greatest Gift You Can Leave Behind
When we are breezing through life’s daily rhythms, it’s challenging to stop, pause, and think about what life will be like for our loved ones when we depart this earthly realm.
I am no expert on grief, but I have experienced firsthand the stress, chaos, frustration, and confusion borne out of not knowing or understanding a loved one’s final wishes.
Grief and loss are universal, and we all can ease our loved ones’ pain once we have departed this earthly realm by gifting them an organized framework from which to navigate the days, weeks, and months that follow.
If this touches your heart, you’re warmly invited to download A Gift for When I’m Gone. The price has been kept intentionally gentle so that anyone who wishes to benefit from it can do so easily.
CLICK HERE → A Gift for When I’m Gone $14.99
Bonus Included with Every Purchase
As a small token of gratitude, I’ve also included Savor the Moment: A Simple Guide to Mindful Living with your purchase. It’s a gentle companion to this guide, created to bring more presence and calm into your daily life.
If we take the time to wrap our end-of-life wishes and personal information in calm, clear terms, we can ease our loved ones’ hearts while also bringing lasting peace to our own.
When our final act is one of love, kindness, and care, I can think of no better way to honor those who hold a sacred and cherished place within our hearts.
If you feel called to share this with someone who may benefit, please feel free to pass it along or restack.
Questions
Have you ever had to help organize someone’s affairs after they passed?
What was the most difficult part?
Steady on, and may you be the light that ignites countless flames soaring toward their highest and most profound destiny.
With much love and gratitude,
Lis 💖💖💖
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