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Accepting 7:47: Trying to Say Goodbye While Executing the Estate
It was the call no one wants to receive. When Brant Thompson’s phone rang early that morning, he thought he knew what to expect, but knowing didn’t make it any easier. His mother, with whom he had always had a close relationship, had passed away. Putting down his phone, the time 7:47 a.m. flashes and, while not the time of her death, it would serve as the marker of this memory. Both his father and his only sibling, his sister, Margo, had died some years before, and with no other relatives—both his parents had been only children—he was the last of the loving, close-knit Thompson family still standing. While putting the rest of his life on hold, he had been making the three-hour journey to stay in the family home during his mother’s illness and hospitalization and navigating the many difficult decisions about her end-of-life care.
Now, deep in the throes of grief, as the executor of her estate, it was his job—and his alone—to take care of the myriad things a loved one’s death entails. Contact his mother’s friends and colleagues. Arrange the funeral. Deal with the bank. The insurance company. The lawyers. And the most painful and complicated task of empty out and say goodbye to the three-storey house his parents had built and lived in for some fifty years.
With wit, insight, and compassion, Thompson explores the nature of his grief and documents some of the challenges and pitfalls he experienced as a first-time executor, which he hopes will be helpful to others in similar situations. Accepting 7:47: Trying to Say Goodbye While Executing the Estate was written to honour his mother’s legacy of helping others.
Now, deep in the throes of grief, as the executor of her estate, it was his job—and his alone—to take care of the myriad things a loved one’s death entails. Contact his mother’s friends and colleagues. Arrange the funeral. Deal with the bank. The insurance company. The lawyers. And the most painful and complicated task of empty out and say goodbye to the three-storey house his parents had built and lived in for some fifty years.
With wit, insight, and compassion, Thompson explores the nature of his grief and documents some of the challenges and pitfalls he experienced as a first-time executor, which he hopes will be helpful to others in similar situations. Accepting 7:47: Trying to Say Goodbye While Executing the Estate was written to honour his mother’s legacy of helping others.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2025
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About the author
Brant L. Thompson
3 books1 followerTo be honest, I never thought I would have the title of "author" attached to me. I lived in a world of writing short stories, firmly in the realm of fiction, and quite enjoyed it! Then a lot of bad re-shaped everything for me and I faced a crossroad: sink or swim. I dove head first into writing how I felt, uncensored, and the result was "Accepting 7:47 - Trying to Say Goodbye While Executing the Estate". I wrote it to heal, to help and unexpectedly, to learn! I am enjoying the world of non-fiction that is now my writing sanctuary. I would love if you could hop on and join me in this new chapter.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 27, 2025
This is a beautifully written memoir. A wonderful balance of humour and raw emotion make this book engaging and draws you in. Your mom would be proud!! 5+ stars!
February 18, 2026
Accepting 7:47 is not just a memoir about loss it’s a deeply personal account of what happens after the worst phone call of your life.
From the moment the time 7:47 a.m. becomes a symbolic marker, the story feels painfully real. Thompson writes with honesty about losing his mother, the last member of his immediate family, and the crushing loneliness that follows. What makes this book stand out is that it doesn’t stop at grief. It dives into the practical, often overwhelming responsibilities of being an executor something many people aren’t prepared for until they’re forced into it.
The book captures the strange duality of mourning while handling logistics: planning a funeral, calling banks, dealing with lawyers, and slowly dismantling a family home filled with decades of memories. The sections about emptying the house are particularly poignant. Anyone who has had to sort through a parent’s belongings will recognize that mix of tenderness, exhaustion, and emotional paralysis.
What I appreciated most is the balance of vulnerability and practicality. Thompson doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but he openly shares the mistakes, frustrations, and unexpected challenges he encountered as a first-time executor. There’s a quiet generosity in that it feels like he’s trying to make the path a little less lonely for someone else.
The writing is reflective, sometimes even gently humorous in the way grief can oddly coexist with mundane bureaucracy. It’s not dramatic or sensationalized; it’s steady, intimate, and sincere.
This book will resonate strongly with readers who have lost a parent or who anticipate navigating estate responsibilities one day. It’s both a tribute to a mother’s legacy and a practical companion for those facing similar circumstances.
A thoughtful, compassionate memoir about love, loss, and the difficult work of letting go.
From the moment the time 7:47 a.m. becomes a symbolic marker, the story feels painfully real. Thompson writes with honesty about losing his mother, the last member of his immediate family, and the crushing loneliness that follows. What makes this book stand out is that it doesn’t stop at grief. It dives into the practical, often overwhelming responsibilities of being an executor something many people aren’t prepared for until they’re forced into it.
The book captures the strange duality of mourning while handling logistics: planning a funeral, calling banks, dealing with lawyers, and slowly dismantling a family home filled with decades of memories. The sections about emptying the house are particularly poignant. Anyone who has had to sort through a parent’s belongings will recognize that mix of tenderness, exhaustion, and emotional paralysis.
What I appreciated most is the balance of vulnerability and practicality. Thompson doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but he openly shares the mistakes, frustrations, and unexpected challenges he encountered as a first-time executor. There’s a quiet generosity in that it feels like he’s trying to make the path a little less lonely for someone else.
The writing is reflective, sometimes even gently humorous in the way grief can oddly coexist with mundane bureaucracy. It’s not dramatic or sensationalized; it’s steady, intimate, and sincere.
This book will resonate strongly with readers who have lost a parent or who anticipate navigating estate responsibilities one day. It’s both a tribute to a mother’s legacy and a practical companion for those facing similar circumstances.
A thoughtful, compassionate memoir about love, loss, and the difficult work of letting go.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews