Dear Magic,
I hope to pass down my values and beliefs to future generations as part of my Estate Planning documents. I heard about a Legacy Letter as a way to do so. I want to be prepared before I embark on my planning and I want it to be more meaningful than just a list of my values. What is a good way to gather all the information I need to be prepared to write a meaningful legacy letter?
Thanks!
Sharon Valhughes
—
Dear Sharon,
A legacy letter is a way to document and share (in writing or via an audio or video recording) your values, your spiritual beliefs, and your “life’s lessons.”
Legacy letters can include personal and spiritual values, hopes, experiences, love, and forgiveness. It may well be one of the most cherished gifts you can give to your family.
Record Your Values Over Time
One way to approach the task of what to include in a legacy letter is to record your thoughts over time. Keeping a journal or diary is an excellent way to write about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Over time, review what you’ve written. Themes will emerge from which you can add more details. Focus on things such as:
• Your beliefs and opinions;
• Things you did to act on your values;
• Something you learned from grandparents / parents / spouse / children;
• Something you learned from experience;
• Something you are grateful for;
• Your hopes for the future.
After a few weeks or months, review what you’ve collected. Group related items together and expand the related categories into paragraphs. Arrange the paragraphs into an order that makes sense to you. Finally, add an introduction and conclusion. Put this aside for a few weeks, then review and revise it again.
On the Farr Law Firm Website, you can access a list of helpful questions to ask yourself and resources you can use here.
For a simple, fun, and convenient way to create your legacy letter, we offer Legacy Stories as a free service for past and current clients and readers to compose, preserve, and share their legacy stories in multi-media. Please click here to view some of the new and exciting features just released by the team at Legacy Stories.
Hop this is helpful,
Magic
Print This Page
About Renee Eder
