The Legacy Love Letter Project Promotes Thanksgiving And Gratitude For The Month Of November
November is the month of Thanksgiving, so I am reminding you to take time this month to focus on gratitude and to appreciate your loved ones. You can start by counting the blessings in your life by considering your faith; your relationships; your health; your work; and your hobbies. Some people find that when they focus on gratitude and what they are thankful for, they discover that they have been overvaluing possessions and the pursuit of them while undervaluing time with loved ones. One way to show gratitude to your loved one is to write a Legacy Love Letter.
A Legacy Love Letter is a heartfelt final goodbye which is found and read after the passing of a loved one. A legacy love letter is more than an ordinary love letter because it has an everlasting impact. I have found that after over 20 years in business assisting people with probate and trust administrations that the most important part of an estate plan is a legacy love letter.
One day I read the obituary of a client, his name was Clyde Hughes. I was impacted by the statement that he left a beautiful love letter for his wife. I was further amazed when I interviewed his daughter while compiling the research for the book I am writing about Legacy Love Letters. Clyde’s daughter told me that her dad wrote the letter because of me and that it was found in the envelope with his estate plan. This was the evidence that I needed, proof of how important this project was.
A Legacy Love Letter is separate from your legal documents. This is your last goodbye and a letter that will be treasured long after your death by those who you leave behind. Upon your death, your will and trust provide only an inheritance of your real property and personal property to your loved ones. Personal property does include the gift of your vehicle along with the food in your pantry and the clothes in your closet and the junk in your garage. In my expert opinion, a Legacy Love Letter is more important than any other legacy document. I believe that your loved one’s memories of you and your legacy gift of love, faith, hope, and gratitude is greater than the stuff that you leave behind. If you fail to prioritize the most important legacy document, your loved ones will be left empty handed at the time that they need love and comfort the most.
A written Legacy Love Letter provides a constant concrete reminder that the recipient was loved in the writing. The recipients of Legacy Love Letters that I have met tell me that the letter is cherished and read repeatedly. One recipient framed her letter from her spouse and read it every day. Another recipient kept her letter from her spouse at her bedside and shared it every day with her family and caregivers because it brought her so much joy and comfort until she too passed. Legacy Love Letters provide comfort as the legacy gift of love, faith, hope, and gratitude is received and appreciated.
If you have received a Legacy Love Letter, please share your story with me. I want others to know what a heartfelt impact it had so that I can continue to encourage others to elevate their estate planning. I have a passion for talking to people about their legacy. I am an author and speaker promoting the Legacy Love Letter Project so that someday everyone who lost a loved one will receive a Legacy Love Letter. The Legacy Love Letter Project promotes thanksgiving and gratitude for the month of November and beyond.
Attorney Gwendolyn K. Christeson is the founder of The Estate Planning Law Center located at 159 Main Street, Jackson, CA, 95642. She assists clients with preparing their legal documents and assisting their loved ones with probate and trust administration. For more information about Gwendolyn and her law center, please visit teplc.com or www.facebook.com/teplc or call (209)223-7625. For more information about Gwen and her Legacy Love Letter Project, please visit legacyloveletters.com or www.facebook.com/legacyloveletterproject .
