The Unexpected Thing to Save When Your Parent Dies

My mom died in a car accident. To me, she is forever frozen in time as a larger-than-life, full-of-zest, tell-it-like-it-is, 52-year-old. Her 65th birthday would have been yesterday. The reverberations of her death echo through my family to this day. It irrevocably changed us all in ways that are still unfolding. Not a day goes by that she is not on my mind. Not one. When someone dies, there are immense amounts of mourning. Understatement of the year. There are also practical matters that callously intrude upon your grief. Decisions to be made. Items to be sorted. Paperwork to be completed. Things that must be done RIGHT. NOW. Before you’ve even laid the deceased…