Well....hard to believe but this is the last exerpt from Emily's Will Be Done. The final manuscript has been forwarded to Quality Control and then it will be pricing, marketing, and printing. Although I don't know exactly, it won't be long now. I will use the blog to post information on availability, ordering, book launches and whatever else seems important. The end is actually in sight!

EPILOGUE:

It is impossible for me to finish my story without providing you with some tips and observations. My mother taught me to share information and not to keep knowledge to myself. I have learned, over the years not everyone appreciates that quality, so you certainly do not have to partake of this information if you don’t want to do so. Also, it is my opinion alone - not from a lawyer, probate judge, or other party, legal or otherwise - just me attempting to share those things my friend Emily has helped me learn on our journey together after her sudden death. (Atkinson, 2012)

The epilogue simply lists a few helpful hints that might come in handy as one prepares their will or anticipates accepting the role of executor for someone else. Anything listed was addressed through the story and the epilogue is only to clearly list the absolutes for those readers finding themselves in need of such things.

In summary, I do not see Emily’s Will Be Done as a self-help book, but more as a story of a quirky and unusual woman whose sudden death and subsequent estate complications serve to underline the qualities of friendship that last well beyond life itself. An additional benefit occurs if the reader finds some food for thought, or asks themselves some questions along the way, regarding estate management and their personal circumstances.

NOT QUITE DONE YET:

I change as a result of managing Emily’s estate. For one thing, I pay closer attention to what I keep in the drawer of my bedside table. I call my mother and tell her that if she has anything in her house she doesn’t want me to see, to get rid of it now. Lasting impressions are made in what you leave behind. I do not want anyone lifting up a corner of the carpet of my life and finding all the dirty bits I never took the time to resolve. Finish business. Clear the decks. We are all on the same path. (Atkinson, 2012)

This final chapter tells the reader what the author has learned – not only about the execution of an estate, but about her friends Emily and Rob, and especially about herself. Managing Emily’s estate was a life altering experience.