OUR STORY Part 50: LIQUIDATION MELT DOWN

Its enough to be up to our ears in the process of liquidating our lives, but the heat just got turned up a few notches on Sunday with a phone call from Mike's mother.

We woke up to an anxious voicemail from my mother-in-law Sunday morning. When Mike called her back he spent just over a half hour discussing her concerns over making preparations for her death. She asked that we immediately investigate the matter of what to do with her belongings in the event of her passing and to help make any pre-arrangements necessary to ensure her cremation.

She has no known malady or immediate health concerns suggesting that this time is coming; however she's an aging woman who has decided that this must be handled this week. Perhaps she saw an infomercial by a funeral home, who knows. We just bailed her out of a nightmare life insurance deal in which she was scammed for a policy she didn't need and couldn't afford. It took us just over four months to unwind the deal  and get her a full reimbursement. They continued to ding her bank account for two months after Mike cancelled the policy. (sigh)


What are you going to do? We can't explain to her our circumstances since it would only add to her worries and anxieties over something she has no control over.

After getting off the phone with his mother, Mike turned to me with this pained look of exhaustion and said "honey, I need your help."

So for the past two days I have been spending hours on the phone, emailing and Googling in an effort to gather information needed for us to relieve her anxieties; and consequently, relieve Mike's recently added concerns of how his mother's wishes will be accommodated in light of our extenuating circumstances and financial demise.

It's not looking too good right now and I haven't been able to tell Mike or his mother yet. The last email response I received regarding Social Security benefits stated that:

Social security will pay $255.00 to a surviving spouse only as a one time lump sum death benefit.

Thank You, AJ

Unfortunately, it appears that the going rate for cremation ranges anywhere from $625 to $1,600 or more. I have had to read and learn more about cremation "packages" and the process than I ever wanted to know!

Research affirmed what we suspected; that her belongings probably wouldn't sell for enough to take care of things; including that of a lower cost cremation. A very reputable estate liquidation company said it will likely "cost" us to have her unit cleaned out, and that it was not cost effective for them to be involved with handling her estate. Perhaps we should clarify what an estate is...

"An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time." (Source: Wikipedia)

While I have been dealing with cremation plans Mike has been spending his waking hours on the phone with Chase, their foreclosure law firm, and a realtor regarding trying to coordinate our exit timeline. He's been doing this while we both intermittently find ourselves taking a break only to be tossing and packing up more stuff for our estate liquidation sale.

We still don't know where we are going or how we will live. So exhausted.

Psalm 6

 ¹O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
 ²Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
 ³My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
 ⁴Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
 ⁵For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
 ⁶I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
 ⁷Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
 ⁸Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
 ⁹The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
 ¹⁰Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.