The gift that keeps giving long after the holidays are over

I cannot believe that Hanukkah is already over and Christmas is just around the corner. Tomorrow we will take the tree out of the basement storage room and cart it and all of decorations upstairs for the annual tree trimming ritual that now exists in our house. Our children are grown and decorating their own trees so I shall tackle the job at hand with an audience consisting of my husband and our two and a half year old black labradoodle Tucker.

Once the tree is trimmed and the house is decorated, the next on my list will be gift buying for our family and making sure I hit mailing deadlines for parcels to different locations in North America.  Of course, I already have a few items stashed away but for the most part, I still have shopping to do. As I was contemplating who might like what, I started to think about a gift my first husband gave my daughter and me that lasted long after the holidays were over.  When he was just thirty-nine years old, he was killed in an accident and our happy family life as we knew it turned into a nightmare. As we struggled to learn how to live without him, there was one constant that helped us get through that time and it was the legacy of love he left us through the gift of life insurance.  That wonderful man loved both of us enough to make sure we would not have to pick ourselves up off the ground financially as well as emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

When a person buys life insurance the decision to do so comes from their heart for it is made out of love to protect those near and dear to them from financial hardships when they are gone.  They call it ‘life’ insurance because it is for the living. Never in a million years can it replace a loved one, but what it can do is provide time to grieve the loss of that loved one and keep the financial ship in safe harbour until the immediate storm has passed.

Therefore, as you think about what to buy for your loved ones this holiday season may I suggest you add to your list the purchase of life insurance if you have not already done so. If you have, then review your life insurance coverage to make sure it is still adequate to meet today’s needs and not those of five years ago.

As you contemplate purchasing or reviewing here are but a few things that the ‘gift’ of life insurance can provide for your loved ones.

• The ability to remain in the home you shared as a family because there is money to pay off the mortgage
• The ability for your children to stay connected to their friends, family and community
• The ability to pay off outstanding loans or bills
• The ability for your partner to take time off from work to help themselves and your children try to cope with your loss
• The ability for your stay at home partner to ease back into the work force or possibly go back to school to get a higher paying job if that is their choice
• The ability for your children to go to the school you would have wanted them to go to
• The ability to travel to be with family during the holiday season if they are not in the same city

I totally realize that life insurance will be nowhere to be found on your children’s holiday wish list and it might not be on your partner’s list either. It would also not elicit a squeal of delight if you wrapped up a life insurance policy and gave it to someone this holiday season. They might actually wonder if there is something wrong with you. However, I can guarantee you that as much as I love diamonds, to this day there has never been a greater gift my daughter and I have received than the financial peace of mind her father left us with his legacy of love, the gift of life insurance.