Keep in mind, we can help with farms too. I bet you might not think someone like me would be able to say this, but I come from a long line of farmers. Started in the 1920's when my great grandfather came over from Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) and went to Detroit, then moved back to western New York. He bought a farm and over the next 100 years, the Sodoma family turned it into one of the biggest in the state. My grandfather and his two brothers grew up there, and my dad and his three brothers grew up there. My dad's cousin lives there now, and farms with his son. While I never worked there, and certainly grew up in an different setting, I have been around farms my whole life. Many friends from high school were either from farm families or ranch families. If you have questions about your farm and how it will be taken care of after you pass from the scene, give me a call. I liked this song as soon as it came out. I can picture many of my relatives thinking the same things over the last 100 years as they worked the land around them. "Dirt" by Florida Georgia Line
You get your hands in it Plant your roots in it Dusty headlights dance with your boots in it. Dirt. You write your name on it Spin your tires on it Build your cornfield, whiskey Bonfires on it. Dirt You bet your life on it It's that old shade red rust clay you grew up on That plowed up ground that your dad damned his luck on That post game party field you circle up on And when it rains you get stuck on Drift a cloud back behind county roads that you run up And mud on her jeans that she peeled off and hung up Her blue eyed summer time smile looks so good that it hurts Makes you wanna build a 10 percent down White picket fence house on this dirt You've mixed some sweat with it Taken a shovel to it You've stuck some crosses and some painted Goal posts through it. Dirt You know you came from it. Dirt And some day you'll return to This elm shade red rust clay you grew up on That plowed up ground that your dad damned his luck on That post game party field you circle up on And when it rains you get stuck on Drift a cloud back behind county roads that you run up And mud on her jeans that she peeled off and hung up Her blue eyed summer time smile looks so good that it hurts Makes you wanna build a 10 percent down White picket fence house on this dirt You know you came from it. Dirt And some day you'll return to This elm shade red rust clay you grew up on That plowed up ground that your dad damned his luck on That post game party field you circle up on And when it rains you get stuck on Drift a cloud back behind county roads that you run up And mud on her jeans that she peeled off and hung up Her blue eyed summer time smile looks so good that it hurts Makes you wanna build a 10 percent down White picket fence house on this dirt@ Makes you wanna build a 10 percent down White picket fence house on this dirt You know you came from it And some day you'll return to it Writer(s): RODNEY CLAWSON, CHRISTOPHER TOMPKINS
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Health care patient myth #27: I can donate organs by checking the box when I apply for a Driver License at the DMV. This myth is widespread, and I want to thank a friend of mine who is a Registered Nurse in Virginia, for bringing it to my attention. Technically, this is correct, and everything SHOULD be fine when you check the box on your license application. HOWEVER, you should take 15 minutes and look at the following website to see if all the information is correct for YOU and your specific situation. And read the Q & A section. I did, and I was very surprised to see that 1) this agency exists, and 2) that organ donation in Virginia is handled in this way. Here is the website link, go ahead and check on your status, I will wait. https://www.donatelifevirginia.org/get-the-facts/ Did you update the registry? From their website, here is a breakdown of why you should. (All highlighting is mine). At any time, you may visit the Donor Registry at DonateLifeVirginia.org, click on “Update My Info,” and log in with your Driver’s License or State ID number and birth date. You will then be able to add a password, change some personal information, specify donation limitations or remove your name from the Virginia Donor Registry. It is, however, always important to share with your family and friends your decision about organ donation. If anything does happen to you, your family members will be told about your decision and will be asked to help answer questions about your medical history. The DMV is the main point of contact with the Donor Registry for most Virginia citizens, and there is only enough time for a visitor to the DMV to say yes to donation. There is not enough time to make any additional decisions. All specific limitations must be completed by going to the Donor Registry at DonateLifeVirginia.org, where you click on “Update My Info,” enter your log-in information and make the changes you wish. Who knew? As an attorney, I can definitely help you write a section in your will specifying organ donation, or donation of your body to science, or other disposition requests for you earthly remains. Only YOU can actually make sure that those requests become reality by checking the appropriate boxes on the DMV form *and* going to the registry to double check your wishes are executed properly. AND THEN, you (or I) can notify your family members of what your wishes are. Evidently, there are times when family members of deceased persons try to override the wishes of the organ donor, so it would be best to be extremely specific in this area. Contact us today to ensure your/your loved one's wishes in this area are carried out properly. "I Give You My Heart" -- Hillsong
This is my desire To honor You Lord, with all my heart I worship You All I have within me I give You praise All that I adore Is in You Lord, I give You my heart I give You my soul I live for you alone And every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord, have Your ways in me This is my desire To honor You Lord, with all my heart I worship You All I have within me I give You praise All that I adore Is in You Lord, I give You my heart I give You my soul I live for you alone Every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord, have Your ways in me And I will live And I will live for You And I will live And I will live for You Oh and I will live And I will live And I will live for You Lord, I give You my heart I give You my soul, I live for You alone Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake Lord, have Your way in me Have Your way Have Your way, have Your way Songwriters: Reuben Morgan I Give You My Heart lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die)" Sung by Joe Diffie Well, I ain't afraid of dyin', it's the thought of being dead I want to go on being me once my eulogy's been read Don't spread my ashes out to sea, don't lay me down to rest You can put my mind at ease if you fill my last request Prop me up beside the juke box if I die Lord, I want to go to heaven, but I don't want to go tonight Fill my boots up with sand, put a stiff drink in my hand Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die Just let my headstone be a neon sign Just let it burn in memory of all of my good times Fix me up with a mannequin, just remember, I like blondes I'll be the life of the party, even when I'm dead and gone Prop me up beside the juke box if I die Lord, I want to go to heaven, but I don't want to go tonight Fill my boots up with sand, put a stiff drink in my hand Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die Just make your next selection, and while you're still in line You can pay your last respects one quarter at a time Prop me up beside the juke box if I die Lord, I want to go to heaven, but I don't want to go tonight Fill my boots up with sand, put a stiff drink in my hand Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die. Writer(s): PHILLIPS KERRY KURT, PERDEW WILLIAM HOWARD, BLAYLOCK RICHARD LANE I want to take some time this morning and talk about a DNR. What is it? A DNR is shorthand that medical professionals use to designate that a person has made clear their wishes, in the event that they experience a life-threatening event requiring resuscitation, that NO ONE is to resuscitate them. They are literally telling everyone, from laymen to professional medical workers "DO NOT RESUSCITATE". If an EMS worker finds this person in the street, dead of a heart attack, they are not supposed to "shock" them back to life, but rather let them pass peacefully. There are, in all states, various ways that people can notify the world that they do not wish to be resuscitated. And these different ways of notifying everyone VARY from state to state. In Virginia, there are regular DNR's and durable DNR's (DDNRs). Confusing, isn't it? Some folks have gone so far as to tattoo their wishes on their chest or wrists--literally marking themselves as a DNR. Here's a catch though--in Virginia, tattoos may not be valid for a DNR--meaning you or your loved one may be resuscitated against your wishes! For more information, you can certainly view the following link: https://www.fredericksburg.com/features/health_living/do-not-resuscitate-man-gets-dnr-tattoo-on-his-wrist/article_252b5d1b-d8b4-5c7f-a66c-ef9ecb928fb9.html In general, you should give your attorney a call today if you are concerned about your wishes for a DNR being followed at the end of your life, in the event a DNR or DDNR is needed. And certainly, if you have a loved one who is unsure of what to do, have them contact us today. Please don't try to be like the guy in the song above, and rely on a verbal disposition to have others carry out your wishes.
You can write your own last will and testament. In Virginia, as in most states, this is a true statement. The question is, "will a will I have written be valid?" And similarly, "will a will I have written accomplish what I want it to?" Only by getting the help and assistance of a lawyer, preferably one who specializes in estate planning, can you pretty much guarantee you're getting everything "just right." It may seem like a cheaper alternative to do all your estate planning yourself, but will it be worth it in the end? Will money saved on the development end be lost due to probate and fights over who gets your assets, or contests over will validity? You may be the best at your respective field, but you really don't want to take a chance on this. Myth of will making: All I need is a piece of paper with my last wishes and a notary public stamp on it, and I will be all set... Wrong. Give me a call today for help on this most important task. "You're the Best" -- Joe Esposito
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You're_the_Best Try to be best cause you’re only a man and a man’s got learn to take it Try to believe while the going gets rough that you gotta hang tough to make it history repeats itself, try and you’ll succeed Never doubt that you’re the one And you can have your dreams You’re the best around nothing’s gonna ever keep you down You’re the best around nothing’s gonna ever keep you down You’re the best around nothing’s gonna ever keep you down Fight to the end cause your life will depend on the strength that you have inside you Ahh, gotta be proud Standing out in the crowd when the odds and the game defy you Try your best to win the moment one date I will tell When you’re the one that’s standing there you reach the final bell You’re the best around nothing’s gonna ever keep you down Fight ‘til you drop Never stop Can’t give up Until you reach the title Fight! you’re the best in town Fight! Listen to that sound. Heavy discussions taking place in the Starbucks this morning when I got my tea. Ladies talking divorce, telling their divorce stories. I am not an attorney specializing in divorce, but I can tell you--if you divorced your spouse, you better rethink your estate plan. Do not wait until something happens to take action. Whether you had a will or you didn't under your previous marriage, you need your own now. You are your own person and need your own plan. If you have kids, then its all the more important to do something now. We will work with you to build or rebuild an estate plan for your current situation. "She Got The Gold Mine, I Got The Shaft" as performed by Jerry Reed
Lyrics Well, I guess it was back in sixty-three When eatin' my cookin' got the better of me So I asked this little girl I was goin' with To be my wife Well, she said she would So I said, "I do" But I'd-a said "I wouldn't" if I'd-a just knew How sayin' "I do" was gonna screw up all my o' my life Well, the first few years weren't all that bad I'll never forget the good times we had 'Cause I'm reminded every month When I send her the child support Well, it wasn't too long till the lust was gone And I'll admit I wasn't too surprised The day I come home and found my suitcase Sittin' out on the porch Well, I tried to get in, she'd changed the lock Then I found this note stuck on the mailbox It said, "Goodbye, turkey My Attorney will be in touch" So I decided right then and there I was gonna do what's right, Give her her fair share, but, brother, I didn't assay it was gonna be that much She got the goldmine (She got the goldmine) I got the shaft (I got the shaft) They split it right down the middle And then they gave her the better half Well it all sounds sort o' funny But it hurts too much to laugh She got the goldmine And I got the shaft Now listen, you ain't heard nothin' yet Why, they gave her the colour television set Then they gave her the house The kids and both o' the cars See, well then they start talkin' 'bout child support Alimony and the cost o' the Court It didn't take me long to figure out How fond of attorneys I was I'm tellin' ya they have made a mistake 'Cause it adds up to more than this cowboy makes Besides, everything I ever had worth takin' They've already took! While she's livin' like a queen on alimony I'm workin' two shifts, Eatin' baloney, askin' myself "Why didn't you just learn to cook?" They give her the goldmine (She got the goldmine) They give me the shaft (I got the shaft) They said they're splittin it all down the middle, But she got the better half But it all sounds mighty funny But it hurts too much to laugh She got the goldmine I got the shaft Well, she got the goldmine (She got the goldmine) I got the shaft (I got the shaft) They split it all down the middle And then they give her the better half Well I guess it all sounds funny (Ha-ha-ha-ha) Just hurts too much to laugh She got the goldmine I got the shaft Huh-hah, they ain't kiddin' I got the shaft But I don't have to worry About totin' a billfold no more Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, I let my wife tote it I'm gonna be carryin' food stamps You get it, Judge? Ha-ha, that's not funny, huh? Contempt of Court? What d'ya mean? Listen, Judge I was just kiddin' I meanSongwriters: Tim J. Dubois / Timothy James Dubois She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft) lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke!_Smoke!_Smoke!_(That_Cigarette) Now I'm a fellow with a heart of gold With the ways of a gentleman I've been told The kind of fellow that wouldn't even harm a flee But if me and a certain character met The guy that invented the cigarette I'd murder that son-of-a-gun in the first degree Cause, it ain't cause I don't smoke myself And I don't reckon into your health I've smoked them all my life and I ain't dead yet But nicotine slaves are all the same At a pettin' party or a poker game Everything's gotta stop while they smoke the cigarette Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette Puff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to death Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate That you hates to make him wait You've gotta have another cigarette In a game of chance the other night Old Dame Fortune was doin' me right The kings and the queens just kept on comin' around I got a full and I bet 'em high But my bluff didn't work on a certain guy He just kept on raisin' and layin' that money down He'd raise me, I'd raise him I sweated blood, you gotta sink or swim He finally called, didn't raise the bet I said "aces full pal, how 'bout you?" He said "I'll tell you in just a minute or two Right now, I just gotta have myself a cigarette" Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette Puff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to death Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate That you hates to make him wait You've gotta have another cigarette The other night I had me a date With the cutest little gal on East 50 States One 'em high-bred, uptown, fancy little dames She said she loved me and it seemed to me That everything's were like it oughta be So hand in hand we strolled down lover's lane She was oh so far from a chunk of ice Our smoochin' party was goin' real nice So help me, Hannah I'm thinking I've been there yet I give her a kiss, a little squeeze She said, "Tex, excuse me please But I just gotta have a filtered cigarette" Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette Puff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to death Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate That you hates to make him wait You've just gotta have another cigarette Written by: Merle Travis & Tex Williams My grandmother smoked cigarettes. Marlboros in the red packages. She smoked them as long as I knew her. She passed away in the 1990's, but I have vivid memories of visiting her one day and seeing her opening a drawer on her desk to retrieve something. I caught a glimpse of stacks of blue pieces of paper: small papers, like certificates, and light blue in color. I found out that they were certificates that were enclosed within cigarette packs--one per pack. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. When I asked my dad what they were for, he replied that they were worth one point per certificate. There were catalogs full of Marlboro branded products that one could buy using the certificates. On another visit to my grandmother's house, I saw she had a catalog from Phillip Morris (maker of Marlboros) on her table. I paged through it, and marveled at the things one could buy--like leather jackets, belts, cigarette accessories, NASCAR themed items (Marlboro was a huge sponsor), model trains, and countless other items. When I asked my grandmother what she was going to buy, she shrugged. No idea, she remarked.
The years went by, and my grandmother passed away. We were not in the area where she lived, and I did not attend her funeral. My dad did, and helped his brothers clean out her house. I remember asking him, years later, what happened to the cigarette coupons. He said he couldn't remember. They were probably thrown out--after all, who wanted to buy things that were marketing cigarettes. What a shame, I remember thinking. All these years later, these coupons came to the forefront of my mind when I learned about will contests in a law school class. What is a will contest? When a person who has an interest in a will, meaning they are a potential beneficiary, believes they were "shortchanged" when the will was probated, they can contest the validity of the will. Maybe someone's uncle passes away, and they leave their entire estate to their chiropractor. This may surprise the family members! The niece or nephew might hire a lawyer to contest the will. We were taught in class to make sure everything was "airtight" on a will, and that it expressed the will of the person who wrote it. Who was supposed to get grandma's antique credenza? Are you sure? We learned in class that ALL assets, or things a person viewed as assets, needed to be outlined in the person's will--with directions as to who was to receive. And we learned about several cases where fighting relatives went to war over a gravy boat, or an antique train lantern, or a clay ashtray. Lawyers were involved and costs ran into the thousands of dollars--all over a relatively worthless item. Point being: get a lawyer involved early in your estate planning process, and make sure your plan is "airtight" so that everyone knows who gets what. Even the things you may think are not worth much, might be worth a fortune to someone special. I am totally fine with those cigarette certificates going in the trash, all these years later, by the way. Warning--this is a sad song, and a sad post. I'll post up my thoughts first, today, and then the lyrics and song information. When I was in law school, as I started to move up the ladder and get closer to graduation, I was really gripped by the strong desire to use my education and background to HELP others in the elder law field. I was interested in the societal issue of people who got towards the end of their lives and realized that they had no plan laid out for what would happen to their assets after they passed away. As I became a sworn Virginia lawyer and opened my own firm, I decided to help others to make these plans. Estate plans! Wills! Trusts! Everyone needs one! Everyone needs a plan! Most agree with my way of thinking, or come around to agreeing with my way of thinking. Some, however, do not. My wife summed up the way of thinking with the following statement that someone said to her: "I ain't got any assets, my beneficiaries on my life insurance are my kids, so I don't need a will. I'm good." No. No you are not. Lack of assets does NOT mean you should not plan for assets & their orderly distribution. Having a life insurance policy with your kids as beneficiaries does NOT mean that you don't need to plan for your kids. You really need a will even if you are flat broke, to be honest! I cannot (in a blog) go into all of the permutations of what will and will not happen based on a person not having a will. The Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia is complicated and everyone's life situation is different. But let me just present a scenario from the song "Cafe On the Corner" as performed by Sawyer Brown back in the early 1990's. At the cafe down on the corner With a lost look on his face There ain't no fields to plow No reason to now He's just a little out of place They say crime don't pay But neither does farmin' these days And the coffee is cold And he's fifty years old And he's gotta learn to live some other way At the cafe down on the corner With a lost look on his face There ain't no fields to plow He's busin' tables now He's just a little out of place And the meek shall inherit the earth And the bank shall repossess it This job don't pay half what it's worth But it's a thankful man that gets it At the cafe down on the corner With a lost look on his face There ain't no fields to plow He's wishin' for one now He's just a little out of place All these soldiers without wars And hometown boys without a home Farmers without fields Dealers without deals And they sit here drinkin' coffee all alone At the cafe down on the corner With a lost look on their face There ain't no fields to plow They're wishin' for one now They're just a little out of place Songwriters: M. McAnally Cafe on the Corner lyrics © Beginner Music I told you it was a sad song. Assume the character they are singing about lost his farm and home at an auction (the farm went out of business). We don't know if he is married, or widowed. We can assume some kids, but grown and out of the house. He is now working at a café as a busboy. Why would he need a will? Well, we dont know much about his financial situation, but if he has any type of benefits at death (farm life insurance, maybe) and the kids are grown, or he never added them to his policy, who gets the benefits? The assets might roll to his wife, or his estate, or via his estate, to the creditors he had outstanding who forced the farm auction. Who knows. And the process to have any benefits can be complicated, take years, and engender a great deal of stress amongst the family members. There are too many things to leave to chance for you not to have a will or some sort of plan for your estate.
And all of this above discussion is just about the farmer who is working in the café. What are the financial situations of the others mentioned? The homeless, the dealers without deals, the soldiers without wars? Wills and estate plans do more than just help everyone figure out where your assets go, they help provide for those left behind (spouse, kids, relatives). Give me a call today to discuss how I can help you get things squared away. Somebody's Watching Me -- Performed by Rockwell, Lyrics by Michael Jackson (Who's watching) (Tell me who's watching) (Who's watching me) I'm just an average man With an average life I work from nine to five Hey, hey, I'll pay the price All I want is to be left alone In my average home But why do I always feel like I'm in the twilight zone And I always feel like Somebody's watching me And I have no privacy I always feel like Somebody's watching me Tell me is it just a dream When I come home at night I bold the door real tight People call me on the phone I'm trying to avoid But can people on TV see me Or am I just paranoid When I'm in the shower I'm afraid to wash my hair 'Cause I might open my eyes And find someone standing there People say I'm crazy Just a little touched But maybe showers remind me Of Psycho too much That's why I always feel like Somebody's watching me And I have no privacy I always feel like Somebody's watching me Who's playing tricks on me (Who's watching me) I don't know anymore Are the neighbors watching me Well, is the mail man watching me (Tell me who's watching) And I don't feel safe anymore Oh, what a mess I wonder who's watching me now (Who) The IRS I always feel like Somebody's watching me And I have no privacy I always feel like Somebody's watching me Tell me is it just a dream I always feel like Somebody's watching me And I have no privacy I always feel like Somebody's watching me Who's playing tricks on me I always feel like Somebody's watching me I always feel like Somebody's watching me Tell me who can it be I always feel like Somebody's watching me I always feel like Somebody's watching me Who's playing tricks on me I always feel like Somebody's watching me Can I have my privacy Somebody's Watching Me lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC A bit different of a discussion today, as I want to take a short break from extolling the virtues of estate planning to talk a little bit about internet security. In the context of elder law, you may want to have a conversation with your parents or other elder family members about their internet security. Indeed--you may want to look at your OWN internet security practices after you read this blog post!
In starting up my law firm, I was frequently "out and about" working around town at various places, like public libraries, coffee shops, or office buildings. As I write this, I am sitting in the customer lounge of the Ford dealer here in Virginia Beach [https://www.beachford.com/] working away. The Virginia State Bar has a pretty robust set of rules protecting privacy and governing security of client information that lawyers must follow. Pretty quickly, I discovered that the antivirus program and other protections on my computer were great, but if I was going to conduct business using public wifi networks, my computer and everything on it were subject to attack and compromise by hackers. Hackers can set up fake wifi networks that look real. How do you know that "Starrbucks wifi" is a fake wifi network? Or "F0rd Dealer Network" is real? Could you tell by the misspelling of Starbucks? Or the fact that the "oh" in Ford was really a zero? Hackers will set fake networks up all the time using spoofing to fool you. Or they can surf in on the same legit wifi you use everyday, and take your data. Like the song above says--"who is watching me?" We really need to know. I did some research and got myself a VPN to protect my computer when I use the internet via wifi in a public place. Its pretty cheap, and you can make it much harder for bad guys to hack you. The best simple technical summary I can find of what a VPN is and how it works is at the following website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network I dont intend to scare you by writing this blog. I only want you to analyze your behavior, identify risks, and mitigate them. And note, I became intensely interested in this topic as I noticed dozens of older folks coming into Starbucks one day and using the free wifi on their tablet to surf the net and read the news or look at Facebook. Their computers and their data is at risk. Help yourself and those you love--look into getting a VPN! 40 Hour Week (For A Livin') Performed by Alabama https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_Hour_Week_(For_a_Livin%27) There are people in this country who work hard every day Not for fame or fortune do they strive But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay And it's time a few of them were recognized Hello Detroit auto workers, let me thank you for your time You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line Hello Pittsburgh steel mill workers, let me thank you for your time You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line This is for the one who swings the hammer, driving home the nail Or the one behind the counter, ringing up the sale Or the one who fights the fires, the one who brings the mail For everyone who works behind the scenes You can see them every morning in the factories and the fields In the city streets and the quiet country towns Working together like spokes inside a wheel They keep this country turning around Hello Kansas wheat field farmer, let me thank you for your time You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line Hello West Virginia coal miner, let me thank you for your time You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line This is for the one who drives the big rig, up and down the road Or the one out in the warehouse, bringing in the load Or the waitress, the mechanic, the policeman on patrol For everyone who works behind the scenes With a spirit you can't replace with no machine Hello America let me thank you for your time Songwriters: David Loggins / Don Schlitz / Lisa Miriam Silver Forty Hour Week (For a Livin') lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group It's Friday. It's the end of the first week of operations of my law firm. A lot of people said I should not go solo, and I am getting a lot of feedback that tells me this is the dumbest decisions I have ever made. (To be fair, there are way more people supporting me in this endeavor that are denigrating me in this endeavor, but dealing with the naysayers has been quite interesting). I still have no clients. I still have not earned my first dollar or done my first bit of "lawyer work". But still I look into the future with a great deal of optimism.
For the past few months I have been doing the legwork to start this thing. Parts of it have been mystifying and parts of it have made me so upset. I'll talk more about all these things in future posts. But one thing that has kept me going over the past few months of "startup" effort (and throughout law school, honestly), was the thought that I was going to run a firm where I helped people plan for the future and get things set for all the eventualities of life. People need an attorney who is a counselor, a friend, a part of their lives (however briefly). People need an attorney who cares about their life, their situation, and the things they are trying to accomplish. They dont need an attorney who is out to make money at the cost of everything else. Which brings me to the point of the song "40 Hour Week (For A Livin')." I heard that song for the first time when I was a high school kid, and it has resonated with me since then. As a lawyer, I want to help the people who are described in the song, and others, who have worked a lifetime's worth of "40 hour weeks". Whether it is pushing paper in an office, or doing the really hard work that drives America forward, day in, and day out, one day at a time--folks like this are who I strive to serve. People have done their best jobs, often with little to no thanks, and deserve to know that their hard work, and the things obtained by the dint of their efforts, will not be in vain. Contact me to talk about an estate plan, today. You dont need an actual "estate" to need an estate plan! Protect the people you have worked so many "40 hour weeks" to provide for, by making sure you have a will set up ASAP. Click the contact link to reach me. Today's song is "These Are My People" by Rodney Atkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/These_Are_My_People Well we grew up down by the railroad tracks Shootin' b.b.'s at old beer cans Chokin' on the smoke from a lucky strike Somebody lifted off of his old man We were football flunkies Southern rock junkies Crankin' up the stereo Singin' loud and proud to gimme three steps Simple Man, and Curtis Lowe We were good you know We got some discount knowledge at the junior college Where we majored in beer and girls It was all real funny 'til we ran out of money And they threw us out into the world Yeah the kids that thought they'd run this town Ain't runnin' much of anything We're just lovin' and laughin' And bustin' our asses And we call it all livin' the dream [Chorus] These are my people This is where I come from We're givin' this life everything we've got and then some It ain't always pretty But it's real That's the way we were made Wouldn't have it any other way These are my people Well we take it all week on the chin with a grin Till we make it to a Friday night And it's church league softball holler 'bout a bad call Preacher breakin' up the fight Then later on at the green light tavern Well everybody's gatherin' as friends And the beer is pourin' till Monday mornin' Where we start all over again [Chorus] We fall down and we get up We walk proud and we talk tough We got heart and we got nerve Even if we are a bit disturbed [Chorus] This is an interesting song to analyze in the context of estate planning and elder law. But think about this question, and then read the lyrics again. Who are YOUR people? Now, did you read the lyrics?
When you are planning for your future and writing wills, compiling documents, or doing all the other work that a true estate plan entails, you really need to ask yourself: WHO ARE MY PEOPLE? When you're planning something as important as your retirement, what happens to your spouse if you pass away, what happens to yourself as you age in place, or anything else in this phase of your life: you must ask--who are my people? I mean two things by that. 1) Who can you count on when the chips are down and something happens to "activate" your estate plan? And 2) Who handles all my stuff, and handles the responsibilities of an executor, when I pass away? Sodoma Law PLLC can help you figure out the answers to both questions AND we can help you to formally, legally, memorialize your plan so that everyone who needs to know "who your people are" can quickly tell "who your people are". If you were to get into a car accident today, and be hospitalized tomorrow, do you have a medical power of attorney, and a regular power of attorney, set up? We can help you do that, so everyone knows "who your people are." If that car accident were serious, and you did not survive, do you have a legal will in your state of domicile? If you do, have you talked to your executor in the last few years? Are all the people you designated still the ones you want to get custody of your minor children? Things change, and you need to make sure those "who are your people" are still your people. We can help refresh your will! Or write a new one. In summary, the song is a good one because it reminds you to ask yourself: Who are my people? And does everyone else know who they are? |
AuthorJeff Sodoma, MPA, Esq. is a lawyer based in Virginia Beach, Virginia Blog!Hello, there! Welcome to my blog. I will use this blog as a platform for my writing. I will write about topics in the legal world, certainly, as well as everything else under the sun, because I have many interests (and viewpoints). All views expressed in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are mine alone. One of my interests is music--my wife believes that I should go on "Beat Shazam" because I know so many songs--and I will be, from time to time, analyzing song lyrics and how they relate to the legal world.
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