They were the kind of couple you meet at a social event of a mutual friend and later comment to your spouse, "that was such a nice couple and family.  Their little girls are adorable".  We conversed with them and enjoyed their company.  Their happy little 19 month old twin girls ran around and explored.  They were social, easy-going, and enjoyable to be around.

We heard about it from our mutual friend.  This young, successful husband and father has suffered a sudden, life-changing event resulting in a disability that affects him and his family forever.  And although our hearts go out to them, and we send our thoughts and prayers, we look at each other with a sigh of relief and gratitude that it wasn't us.  Thus, our rationale of putting off life insurance and disability insurance for one more day, one more week, one more month is justified.  We can continue not thinking about it, planning for it, budgeting for it.

Life is amazingly unpredictable.  Sometimes in unbelievably good ways, and sometimes in horrific, tragic ways.   The financial aspects of accidents, tragedies, disability, and death are the only tangible pieces that can actually be planned and budgeted for. The emotional toll is the  more unpredictable, immeasurable, and very much intangible.  We just have to allow ourselves to think about things we are all terrified of -  illness, disability, tragedy and death.  The emotional costs of neglecting this responsibility far outweigh the financial ones.
 
- Heather Kirby