(Word count = 533 words plus 29 words for Across the Media plus 61 words for About the Author)

When faced with the drudgery of lots of details and paperwork in doing certain aspects of financial planning, don't worry.   Often a silver lining, like seeing your father smile, unexpectedly happens that augments the usual benefits of getting better organized, planning properly, and saving money.

There I sat one Tuesday morning at my parents' dining room table with the list I was given by the elder care attorney, whose firm I recently engaged for various aspects of estate planning and eldercare strategies for my 80-year old father and mother who turns 80 soon.   My mother brought me the records I read her from the list, such as health insurance identification cards, social security information and their marriage certificate, for me to review and organize.   After about 10 minutes, my father went into the first-floor guest bedroom for a nap and my mother answered the phone.   Now sitting alone, I got to the item on the list marked "Military discharge papers."   I opened the brown leatherette portfolio they kept of key papers, and there was a white business envelope that stated in black block neat letters in my mother's handwriting   "Frank's Navy Papers."   The precious contents included:

(1) the folded thick certificate entitled "Honorable Discharge from the United States Navy" in a fancy font, signed by an official and with a seal dated May 25, 1946, and with a drawing of a navy ship on it.

(2) a letter from The Secretary of the Navy to my father, expressing congratulations and gratitude that I l framed the next day.

 (3) a news clipping from the Daily Argus with a photo of my father, Frank Sisco, at 17 years old, in a Navy uniform, and a member of the Navy's Seabees (CB - Construction Battalion).   The article also mentioned his Joseph A. Sisco, who was with the Fourth Marine Division in the Hawaiian Islands

 (4) a clipping from the Daily Mirror with the headline "6,685 In Biggest, Happiest Arrival."   The large photo showed many hundreds of navy men, standing all over the ship with their hands raised, waving, and their faces beaming with joy of arriving back in the United States, coming home.  

At that point, I went into the guest bedroom and called for my father to wake up from his nap and look at some things.   He used his walker to come to the dining room table where I had laid out the papers from his past.   He smiled as he read aloud from several of the items.   When he focused intently at the clipping's large photo of hundreds of happy faces in the photo, I could hear him choke up.   My Dad stopped and then pointed to a young man and said.   "That's me.   Right here."   In my surprise that he could actually pick himself out of the hundreds of small images, I looked closer and then turned to my mother and said happily, "Look, Mom.   It's Dad."    We all brightened, triggered by the memories of times when life was lived fully, and hoping it still could be.   When you face the chore of gathering details about life and money matters, be open to discover the invaluable memories among the papers.

References across the media :

For images of the above-mentioned news clippings, documents and photos please see: www.VideoVoom.com, under the "People" category, and then under the "Unique and Unusual" subcategory.

About the author:

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist and writes on topics related to life and money.   You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.589.1013 in order to express your opinion about this article or to obtain copies of prior articles.   He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.