228. Preparing for the Unexpected: A Personal Story on Wills and Life Insurance

Hey Family Brand — it’s Melissa here. Today’s episode is a little different, and honestly, it’s one I tried to record six different times. It took me a while to even figure out what I wanted to say because this one hits close to home.

Last week, my cousin and his wife passed away unexpectedly in a tragic plane crash, leaving behind two little ones. Even as I write that, my heart feels so heavy. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to even imagine not being there for your kids as they grow up. It’s something we never want to face — and I never thought we’d have to.

But this experience really made me look at some practical things that all of us, as parents, need to have in place. Specifically: a will, and life insurance. Years ago, when we had our last baby, one of Chris’s clients — who happened to be an attorney — kind of nudged us to ask, “Hey, if something ever happened to you guys, who would raise your kids? Do you have a plan for that?” We didn’t, so we sat with it and decided it was too important to put off.

So, I’m sharing some of that thought process today. Who did we pick? What kinds of questions did we ask ourselves? And, honestly — I’d encourage you to do the same. It’s one of the most caring, responsible things we can do for our kids.

And the other thing I want to talk about is life insurance. That was something that really shifted for me as we were having babies. Back then, Chris had just gotten a policy, and I thought, “That’s great. That’s one box checked.” But then our agent asked if we’d thought about me too. Even though I wasn’t working much at the time, he explained that if something happened to me, someone would need to help with the kids, house, all of it. Plus, we’d need the space to grieve without worrying about finances. That really stayed with me — because it’s not just about income, it’s about protecting your family’s time together too.

So if you don’t have a will or you haven’t updated yours in a while, or if you don’t have life insurance, I just want to gently encourage you to make some time to do that. It’s not fun to talk about. Trust me, I get it. But it really is an important part of being an intentional family.

And I’ll leave you with one last story that kind of caught me off guard… The other day after one of Ivy’s softball games, we were driving home and I saw this random basketball on the side of the road. I told Tanner to pull over so I could go grab it — I’m forever rescuing random stuff on the roadside lol — and when I picked it up, I flipped it over and saw the name “Smith” written on it in kid handwriting. It was our basketball that we hadn’t seen in probably a year and a half. How it ended up two towns over, on the side of the road where I happened to drive past it? I have no idea. And I just felt this really sweet, gentle reminder that God sees us. That even when life feels heavy or uncertain, we’re not alone. So that’s my encouragement for you this week — you’re seen, you’re loved, and you’re not forgotten. 

P.S.

Hug your babies a little tighter tonight.

LINKS:

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Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:00 – Why this episode took me six tries to record
• 1:45 – The heartbreaking loss of my cousin and his wife, and the kids they left behind
• 6:00 – Why choosing guardians for your kids matters and our process for deciding
• 10:45 – Talking about life insurance and why it’s