Last month I turned 50. I had wonderful celebrations with a lot of my favourite people amongst my family and friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the setting for the weekend at The Galgorm in Northern Ireland - the running river through the wide expanse of rolling hills, forests, relaxing dining, the spa village was a magnificent treat in itself, along with a dinner party with people from many aspects of my life meeting and thankfully getting on. I felt (and feel) truly blessed to have these amazing people in my life and to have them come celebrate with me. It truly was a great way to start a new year and a new decade.

Once the weekend was over I then headed up to Buncrana on the border of Donegal and Northern Ireland, to deliver the second day succession planning workshop thanks to Inishowen Development Partnership, and then the next day I travelled to the Atlantic coast side of Donegal to deliver a half day workshop in advance planning to community groups supported by the Donegal Local Development Company. Everyone’s engagement and curiosity was inspiring. There is a great recognition of the importance of advance planning and getting your life in order. From these workshops I am keen to deliver more workshops around the country (and online globally) so if you are part of a community group (regardless of age) or an organisation, please do reach out and let’s talk to determine how we can help more people together to start working on getting peace of mind by putting their plans in place.

Putting plans in place was my focus…. And then something next happened that deepened my resolve to help people in an even greater way…

When I returned home on June 25th I was informed that a beloved uncle had died. This was the second uncle to pass in as many months. Thankfully both uncles had spoken with me to get their plans in place and had communicated their plans, but even after their death more elements came to light that needed further attention. This second uncle was based in Northern Ireland, so no sooner had I left there then I was turning back to wrap up his life. Widowed and without children, he had asked me to look after everything once he was gone. This ranged from meeting his friends and neighbours with their shock and grief, sorting through his home, packing up his belongings, dealing with the death registry, contacting banks, arranging his memorial and organising his resomation (water cremation). This process helped me feel a purpose through my coming to terms with his death. It also helped me put his end of life plans into action, which I hadn’t done before. It was both informative and enlightening as there are different processes in Northern Ireland compared to the Republic of Ireland. Myself and my Uncle’s sisters (my Mum and my aunt) as well as his in-laws and friends, all gathered for two events, which gave great opportunity for shared stories, gathering of photos and mementos. I was able to put together a booklet for the events, along with a video afterwards that captured moments from both events, as well as the photo montage of his life. I really enjoyed the compilation process as it helped convey the story of his life.

So, in wrapping up a life, I am now seeing opportunity to honour my uncle’s legacy by continuing on his eagerness to both be prepared and make things easier for his loved ones after he was gone.

He will be missed and always fondly remembered.

I want to commend and thank Pure Reflections (www.purereflections.ie) for their care in the resomation service (the first in Europe as an alternative to flame cremation), and celebrant Conor Clear (www.conorclear.com) who did a magnificent job liaising with my family and delivering a wonderful service.

Putting Plans into Action - On TikTok

One month later I have most of my uncles administrative affairs dealt with, now just waiting for the banks to finalise everything, and then we are all done. I have been sharing my learnings through TikTok, which may help you if you are in a similar predicament, or even to help you consider additional aspects towards your advance planning. I am intrigued by this platform as I am new to TikTok, even amassing over 14,000 views on my post about funeral costs! Check out https://www.tiktok.com/@livinglegacy.ie and please follow me for most posts yet to come!

Keeping Accountable - Openings Available for One-to-One Coaching

I am taking bookings now for new coaching clients from September onwards. This can range from one-to-one life coaching, executive coaching, and/or accountability coaching to keep you on track with putting your advance plans in place. Please reach out to book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/livinglegacy-ie/introduction 

Developing a Concierge End of Life Service

I am keen to now explore developing an support for people, both at end of life (which I had shied away from) and also a concierge service for those who have loved ones either nearing the end, or recently deceased, to help make the administrative process easier. There are so many great services out there for different aspects of the end of life process, which I will share with you. For now, I will be in contact with each of you separately as I really do want to ensure I can both understand your needs for now and the future, and also how I can help you whether it be for death, life, or legacy.

So before you wrap up your life, consider how best you can be prepared, and then live it.

A new year and new decade for me and a new determination with the path forward.

I look forward to talking with you soon.

Love

Jen x

Jennifer McConnell (Founder)