HANK MATTIMORE

 As Dan cleaned out the apartment, he hoped to find some kind of personal message that his Dad might have left for him. “ I just wanted a note, an old letter, something to remind me of my Dad. I found nothing. It made me feel kind of empty, like I was missing something.”

That something missing is being provided more and more frequently these days by people who have rediscovered the ancient practice of drawing up a spiritual or ethical will (the terms are used interchangeably.) A spiritual will is a way to share your values with your family in the same manner that a legal will provides instructions for passing on your property and material possessions.

Some have described this written gift as a love letter to family and friends. A spiritual will gives you the opportunity to tell your spouse or kids what was important to you in life, your beliefs, hopes and dreams.

You can put on paper family stories that meant something to you, your daughter in her first prom dress, the time your son ran out of the house buck naked when he was three years old.

 Maybe you can tell them things about yourself growing up. Tell them about the kid they never knew. Share with them the lessons you learned from life. Recall that special teacher who turned your life around, that first date with their Mom. Ask their forgiveness for the times you may have failed them.

Writing a spiritual will is your final gift to the people who have been most important to you. If you find that you haven’t said, “I love you” nearly enough in life, let all those inhibitions go when you write your farewell letter. This is a great opportunity, your last chance to tell your loved ones how you feel about them and the life you have shared together. This is your own personal “Legacy of the Heart.” 

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