Last Saturday we had the distinct pleasure of facilitating a workshop in conjunction with a local Cincinnati writing school, Women Writing for (a) Change. “Straight from the Heart: Writing Your Legacy Letter” was designed to help participants discover within themselves the true wealth of their life – their values, beliefs and life lessons – and then use exercises, prompts and discussions to write a first draft of a Legacy Letter for their family.

We included in our presentation some history of Ethical Wills/Legacy Letters, along with a few examples to get people thinking. Then, much to our delight, the participants took to the task like the proverbial ducks to water, diving into the exercises with enthusiasm and using up every second of the allotted writing time. In fact, at the conclusion of our two and a half hours together, the key comment on feedback forms was that they wished the workshop had been longer!

All our participants appreciated the time to reflect on their lives and think about how they would like to be remembered, what lessons they would like to pass along, and found the guidance and structure a useful jumping off point for their own unique document. And the group discussion proved fascinating as each person shared a bit about why and to whom they were writing their letter. As we do with every personal history project, Jennifer and I came away with a deep respect for the beauty and grace that exists in each person’s life and with profound gratefulness for the privilege of bearing witness to these lives. We love our job!

Stay tuned for future Legacy Letter workshops! Or contact us if you'd like to get started on your own letter today.

~ Kristi