Reviewer June Maffin:Living on an island in British Columbia, Canada, Dr. Maffin is a neophyte organic gardener, eclectic reader, ordained minister (Anglican/Episcopal priest) and creative spirituality writer/photographer with a deep zest for life. Previously, she has been grief counselor, broadcaster, teacher, journalist, television host, chaplain and spiritual director with an earned doctorate in Pastoral Care (medical ethics i.e. euthanasia focus). Presently an educator, freelance editor, blogger, and published author of three books, her most recent (Soulistry-Artistry of the Soul: Creative Ways to Nurture your Spirituality) has been published in e-book as well as paperback format and a preview can be viewed on YouTube videos. Founder of Soulistry™ she continues to lead a variety of workshops and retreats connecting spirituality with creativity and delights in a spirituality of play. You can find out more about June by clicking on her Web Site.
ISBN: 978-1589850583
Author: Ricki Pagano
Publisher: Five Star
Publications
ISBN: 978-1589850583
Click Here To Purchase For The Record: A Personal Facts & Document Organizer
If there were a fire/flood/tornado/earthquake in your area and you had ten minutes to pack what you needed and get out of the house to a safe location, would you be able to get your hands on your important documents for everyone in your family: yourself, your partner, your children, your parents, your pets?
Could you, this moment, gather together your insurance information, important phone numbers, inventory of personal property, mortgage information, your will and lawyer’s information, car/house/medical insurance information, next of kin list, financial assets and liabilities, listing of medication, medical information, credit card numbers, passport numbers, inoculation information and names of people to call in an emergency? Is the information in one location? If you’re like most people, it’s scattered in a variety of places throughout the house/car/safety deposit box/your home safe.
But, remember, the fire is on its way and this is an emergency. You only have ten minutes and likely you won’t be thinking very clearly. Your primary thoughts will be on making sure family member and pets are out of the house and safe and that water/propane/gas/electricity are turned off. You may think of picking up your purse, wallet and cell phone but other than that, there’s no time. And you’re going to need that information.
So what can you do to prepare for such an eventuality? You could gather it all together, put it into a shoebox and pick up the box on the way out the door. But a shoebox could be an awkward thing to carry in an emergency. You could buy a home safe, put the information inside the safe and hope it survives whatever disaster is heading your way. But having the information in the home safe won’t help you when you are in hospital or moved out of harm’s way to another town. Think of the floods in New Orleans – what could you have done so that your personal information was readily available?
Here’s a thought - Ricki Pagano’s For the Record: A Personal Facts and Document Organizer. It’s 8 ½” x 11” and only 68 pages. It’s thin and lightweight and easy to slip into a briefcase, large purse, deep pocket of a coat etc. You could fill in the information in the book, put it in on the top shelf of the front door closet and should there be an emergency, quickly pick it up and take it with you. By doing so, you would save yourself unnecessary angst when you are settled safely away from the danger and find yourself needing your information.
For the Record is a helpful personal record keeping book. In fairly large print, there are forms that make it easy to organize and record the important information contained in a variety of documents should there be a natural disaster in your area, you are unexpectedly rushed to hospital, or you find yourself dealing with an incapacitating illness. An aside: even though the book is American in language and context, American phone numbers/agencies in the Appendix can easily be substituted with appropriate terminology and phone numbers from other countries. Information recorded in the book would be a helpful aid when writing / updating a will and could save a considerable amount of time and money with a lawyer.
I’m not someone who procrastinates and most of my papers are easily locatable, but having one handy book for recording important personal information is a great idea. Whether it’s needed at a time of natural disaster, unexpected hospitalization or my death, the information will be readily accessible. So I choose to take control now and will gather my information together and insert it into the “For the Record” book. I encourage you to do the same.