June 17, 2009
There are and have been lots of "Wills."
It is a nickname for William. Maybe first and foremost for those with an Oklahoma heritage. when "will" is mentioned we will think of our own Will Rogers. There is currently a conservative columnist named George Will; the actor Will Smith; and have you ever heard of Will, the Miskito castaway?
There is a county in Illinois named Will and, of course, the literary giant Will(iam) Shakespeare. Dare I leave out the singer Will(ie) Nelson, the comic Will Ferrell or Will, the autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy.
In fiction there has been Will Aston, a character from the Power Rangers; Will Vandom, a character from W.I.T.C.H. [w(h)itch, I hope, none of your children have seen]; Will, a novel by Maria Boyd; and in the myths of Robin Hood, the stories of Will Scarlet, the minstrel.
Will may also refer to the modal verb, will; or be included in a philosophy, such as Nietzche's famous "The Will to Power;" or Free Will, the trait which produces conscious choices and actions and is contrasted, by some theologians, to Predestination. When ruminating about philosophy "wills," one must be sure to include Will Durant, sometimes referred to as the "gentle" philosopher.
At law, Will may refer to a Living will, a legal document expressing the desires of the author with regard to medical decisions, invoked in the event that the author is incapacitated and unable to act on his or her own behalf, or Will may refer to a legal document expressing the desires of the author with regard to the disposition of property and care of minor children after the author's death.
All of these are wills, but if you do not have both of these last two, no matter how "will-ful" or "will-less" you are, even though you might have a son, brother or cousin "Will," you are without the will which matters most regarding your legacy. You are missing your last chance to be sure that your family knows just how much you care about them and you are missing your last chance to tell everyone about the things which you believe are important.
My job at OBU is to be sure that our friends know their own wills - that our friends know that the University can also be of help to them. I have more than 35 years of experience in helping to solve legal puzzles and I am positive that I can give you a no-cost, no-obligation start to solving the puzzles in your estate plan. I promise not to be will-ful, but to be help-ful. Call me at 405.878.2718, or send an e-mail to john.little@okbu.edu or even write to me at Oklahoma Baptist University, 500 W. University, Shawnee, OK 74804.