Let’s talk about something deeply meaningful: our stories and what we leave behind.
Not long ago after I started doing this work, I came across this beautiful idea with roots in Jewish tradition called an ethical will. An ethical will, sometimes called a legacy letter, goes beyond legal documents and estate plans. This isn’t about dividing up belongings or deciding who gets Grandma’s jewelry. It’s about leaving behind your values, your stories, your wisdom, your love – the intangible parts of you that matter most. Stanford Medicine
An ethical will is a written expression of your life’s journey: what you’ve learned, what you believe in, the memories that shaped you, and the hope you have for future generations. It’s not a legal will; it’s a reflection of your heart and soul, crafted for the people you love long after you’re gone. Trust & Will
What is an ethical will, really?
Think of it like this:
- It’s a conversation with your future grandchildren.
- It’s a letter to your children about the lessons you learned (even the hard ones).
- It’s a written space where you bless, forgive, or affirm the people you love.
- And yes — it’s a way to say everything you never got around to saying out loud. Stanford Medicine
People use ethical wills to share values, life philosophy, hopes for the future, blessings, stories of triumph and struggle, and even apologies. They can be written letters, journals, audio recordings, or even video messages, whatever feels like you. Stanford Medicine
So why does this matter – especially for women?
Women have this incredible role in the rhythms of life: we birth, we nurture, we witness. Historically, many women’s voices weren’t written down. Their stories existed in kitchens, around dinner tables, whispered in lullabies, and carried in the way they loved, but often never recorded on the page. An ethical will gives women permission to put pen to paper and say, “This is who I was, this is what mattered to me.” Ettinger Law Firm
Too often we think of legacies as something huge – a house, a fortune, statues, foundations, endowments. But the legacy that truly resonates in the hearts of our loved ones is our voice, our thoughts, our stories.
Why should women write them?
My paternal great-grandmother died when my grandmother was a baby. My great-grandfather remarried a short time later. My grandmother’s lineage is told through the story of her father, step-mother and her half siblings. When my grandmother died, none of my cousins knew that she had been raised by nuns for a few years, and no one knew anything about the woman who gave birth to her. She apparently had no family and no one to remember her after she (and her husband) died; not even her daughter. This breaks my heart.
Because her voice mattered. Because our voices matter.
Too many stories go untold.
Too many memories fade without ever being shared.
Too much of what made us us gets lost in the shuffle of everyday life.
Writing an ethical will gives women the space to:
✨ Reflect on their life with intention.
✨ Connect the dots between past, present, and future.
✨ Preserve family history – not just dates, but essence.
✨ Offer guidance, grace, and presence long after we’re gone. Trust & Will
This is soul-searching, spiritual work. Whether you want to share your spiritual beliefs, the source of your resilience, the lessons you learned from hardship, or the things you want future generations to know about love an ethical will – or a spiritual-ethical will, as I like to call it – captures that in your voice.
This isn’t morbid. It’s human.
We spend so much of life preparing for tomorrow – bills, meetings, groceries, emails – that we forget to be present and aware of where and who we are today and prepare to share what we learn on our spiritual journey through daily life. A spiritual-ethical will invites you to slow down. To start a spiritual practice of journaling and self-expression. To reflect. To write like someone you love is reading it, because someday they may be. Cambridge University Press & Assessment
It’s a gift to you and to them.
Your story is your legacy, and it deserves to be told.
Let’s make space for the things that matter more than stuff: our love, our lessons, our laughter, our tears, and our truth. Because someday, someone will want to know you existed — not just in facts or dates, but in spirit and heart.
And that, friends, is one of the most meaningful gifts we can give.
Join a circle of women in LOVE & LEGACY, our 12-week Women’s Legacy Creation Workshop
We’re going to explore where we came from, spend time doing spiritual exploration into who we really are and create a tangible, shareable (if you choose) spiritual-ethical will that can help heal, support and nurture those who come after us. The process of doing the work of creating our spiritual-ethical will heal us, too, even if we never show it to another person.
We’ll learn from women in our collective and personal pasts to feel comfortable writing.
We’ll use thoughtful prompts and though exercises to start a writing practice.
We’ll explore ways to express our unique gifts and spirit with creative artistic expression.
We hope you will join us beginning Tuesday, January 13. That evening, and every fourth week, we will be meeting in-person in New Albany. The other eight lessons will be virtual and live in our supportive on-line community.
Early access and discounts are available now until December 15. Find the information you need here, https://helpyouniversity.com/courses/offers/2db6a738-8d18-411b-9660-587c403f9be7 or reach out to me for more information.
Your story matters. Come shape it and share it with us.