So what's a life letter? // A life letter is a written expression / of what matters / most that can be shared with loved ones today / and over time as well as one's community. // Your family history, / your precious memories, / your values that are most important to you and your wishes. // The life letter / is inspired by the ancient practice of ethical wills / and legacy letters. // This is a / 3,500-year-old / tradition that began / with fathers / passing on wisdom / to their sons to carry into the next generation. // In the Middle Ages, / this became a written form, / and there are many / powerful examples of ethical wills and legacy letters written over the centuries. // The life letter can be two pages, / it can be 10 pages, / it can even be / a little bit more. // It can be handwritten, / it can be typed, / it can be spoken. // It is not, however, meant to be / your entire / life story. // It's not your autobiography. // It is a much more distilled / reflection of what really matters most / to you. // It can also be used / as a way to clarify / legal estate documents. // Think of the will / or a trust / as everything you want your loved ones to have, / whereas a life letter / is about everything you want them to know. // And there's another difference, / too. // A will is shared after a death. // Ideally, / the life letter should be shared / during one's / lifetime. // So / many of us / wish we knew more / about the people who came before us, / just like my children. // When you share your treasured stories, / your wishes for the future, / your history, / you're making it possible so that someday a grandchild, / or a great-grandchild, / or someone from your community, / your church, / your synagogue, / your mosque, / your birdwatching group / has answers to questions about your life, / because your life matters, / your story matters. //