The Things We Can't Insure: Making Time for the People Who Matter

Recently, we came across Sharon Hulce's “30 Things To Do With Your Parents Before It's Too Late,” and it gave us something worth thinking about: How well do we really know the people who raised us?

Don't Just Take Pictures. Preserve the Stories.

Most of us have hundreds, maybe thousands, of family photos on our phones. But a photograph can't always tell you what was happening behind the camera.

The next time you're with your parents, consider asking about their lives.

What were they like when they were your age? What did they want to be when they grew up? What was their first job? What is one of their favorite memories? What was life like when they first became parents?

You may have heard some of the answers before. Others might completely surprise you.

Instead of relying on yourself to remember everything, consider preserving some of it. Record a family story, write down an old recipe, label old photographs, or make a small collection of family memories.

Someday, those ordinary things may become some of your family's most treasured possessions.

You don't need to plan an expensive vacation or create an enormous bucket list.

Sometimes the best memories happen when absolutely nothing remarkable is happening.

Have dinner together.

Take a drive.

Watch an old movie they love.

Go through family photographs.

Ask them to teach you something.

Visit somewhere that was important to them when they were younger.

Or simply put the phone away and spend an afternoon talking.

We spend so much of our lives waiting for a special occasion that we can overlook how special an ordinary day can actually be.

We assume certain things the people closest to us already know.

Thank you.

I'm proud of you.

I appreciate what you've done for me.

I love you.

Maybe they do know.

Say it anyway.

Write your parents a letter. Thank them for something specific you still remember. Ask a question you've always wanted to ask. Tell them about a lesson they taught you that you still use today.

Those conversations don't require a birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, or Father's Day. Sometimes an ordinary Monday is reason enough.

Parents and grandparents often carry pieces of family history that exist nowhere else.

Names. Stories. Traditions. Recipes. Photographs. Childhood homes. Funny mistakes. Difficult years. Accomplishments. Lessons learned.

Ask about them.

Pull out the old photo albums and find out who everyone is. Ask where your grandparents grew up. Find out how family traditions started. Learn how to make the meal that somehow never tastes exactly right when anyone else makes it.

You don't have to wait until a loved one is gone to learn about your family's past. Sometimes you can look across the table at the person who lived it.

There is also a practical side to caring for the people we love.

It can help families know where important documents and contact information are located, such as insurance policies, medical information, and emergency contacts.

These aren't always comfortable conversations, but being organized can make difficult situations easier for everyone involved.

Insurance can help protect a house.

It can help repair a car.

It can help replace belongings.

But it can't replace time.

That's why perhaps one of the best things we can do for the people we love doesn't involve purchasing anything at all.

Call your parents.

Have dinner together.

Ask another question.

Take another photo.

Hear the story again.

Enjoy an ordinary day together.

Because protecting what matters isn't always about preparing for what might happen tomorrow.

Sometimes it's about appreciating what you have today.

—Strohm Insurance Agency