Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Sunday, April 15, 2007
Ethical wills: Valuable advice
I was excited to read the story in the April 10 Tribune about the work that Dr. Barry Baines has done on ethical wills because the training session I had with him in 2005 was a turning point in my life.
During that weekend training, he prepared about a dozen of us, all members of the Association of Personal Historians, to teach workshops on ethical wills. I gained an appreciation for the importance of writing and sharing our values and the lessons we’ve learned in life with future generations.
In the midst of going through the process of creating my own ethical will, I had an uncontrollable urge to call my children. That was precisely the point of an ethical will — to connect generations, although not necessarily by cell phone.
In the Association of Personal Historians, we say we “save lives” by helping individuals, families and organizations preserve their stories. I know the importance of this work because I have what I call I-wish-I-knew-syndrome. By the time I was interested in family history, it was too late to “save” the lives of my parents. My dad had died, and many of my mother’s memories were gone.
My advice is that even if the kids appear uninterested now, they may be later when it is too late. So preserve your stories and share your values in an ethical will. They are the true valuables of your life.
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