When people consider the fact that at some point they will die, many consult attorneys and funeral homes to make arrangements in advance. While making plans to handle their possessions and human remains, many fail to pass on their spiritual legacies to their children and grandchildren, thereby missing a prime opportunity to share family values, traditions, stories and history.

Spiritual legacies, often referred to as ethical wills, offer a concrete method for passing on your values to the generations yet to come. These legacies enable people who have learned so much in their lifetimes to share that wisdom with younger generations, perhaps in hopes that they’ll hold true to honored values or refrain from making similar mistakes.

Everyone can leave a spiritual legacy, simply by writing down thoughts or ideas that they want their children and grandchildren to know. To get started in preparing a spiritual legacy, or for guidance, contact Chapters of Life^®.

In The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life, authors Roy Rosenzweig and David Thelen state:

“Like the search for identity, the need for immortality drove Americans into their past. They took steps to ensure that the past would not die with them, that they would live on in the memories of those they had touched in life. Particularly as they grew older, they burned with the wish to pass on everything—identity, example, experience, ideals, traditions, ethnicity, lessons, skills, wisdom, and above all love—so that the things they valued would survive.”

Wise Words

“Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations.  Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you…”  (Deuteronomy 32:7)

What to Expect

We can conduct workshops at your church, synagogue, senior center or community building. We’ll give you ideas for writing your own ethical wills and options for having someone else do the work for you.

We can prepare your spiritual legacy after a brief interview, where we ask you in the comfort of your own home to reflect on your life and the people, places and things you valued most. After transcribing and editing the taped interview, we can provide you with a well-written spiritual legacy that captures your values on paper so that an integral part of you will live on.

You may want to read more about our process for creating a memoir and our FAQs about Creating a History.

Options

You can write your own spiritual legacy and learn the techniques by visiting Dr. Barry Baines website at www.ethicalwill.com. His book, Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper, can guide you through writing your own spiritual legacy. Order it from our convenient book list.

Reading Dr. Baines’ book is helpful. And, if you’d like more guidance, we can arrange to conduct a workshop on writing ethical wills or developing spiritual legacies. Or we can visit you at your home and conduct an interview in a comfortable setting where you can reflect on these philosophical questions. Then we will write the spiritual legacy for you to review, edit and correct. The final product will be a spiritual legacy preserved on acid-free paper that can be treasured for generations to come.

Getting Started

To get started, you can begin reflecting on some of the following ideas:

• What are your values and beliefs? Do you believe in God? Do you prefer one particular organized religion?
• What characteristics do you value most? Honesty? Integrity? Humor?
• Are there family traditions that you treasure? What and why?
• Do you have strong political beliefs? What are they? Where did you develop them?
• What skills do you feel are most necessary for living? Is formal education important to you? How much value do you place on work experience? How important is a career?
• What are the most important decisions you’ve made in your life? Have you made mistakes you’d like to share with others so they can avoid doing the same? What would you do differently? Do you have any regrets? What lessons have you learned in your life?
• Who influenced your life the most? What did you learn from your grandparents, parents, spouse, children, and grandchildren?
• Do you wish to seek forgiveness from anyone? Or offer forgiveness to anyone?
• What are you most grateful for?
• What do you hope to see your children and grandchildren accomplish in life? Are there pitfalls you want them to avoid?
• Do you have any favorite sayings or quotations you’ve used in your life?
• What is your view of the world? What direction do you see the world heading?
• What is your definition of success?

Samples

Read Nora McDonald’s spiritual legacy and Phillip McDonald’s spiritual legacy.

We create personal memoirs and family memory books, too. Learn more about Julie Zander, or contact us to find out how you can have your special event captured to remember forever.