What’s Your Legacy? Leaving an Ethical Will or Legacy Letter

Most of us have prepared a legal will to distribute our belongings after we die, but few of us have considered leaving a so-called Ethical Will or Legacy Letter — that is, a record of who we are, our values, our wisdom and stories. This information is just as important to be passed on to loved ones as our material property. The pandemic may have brought some of these questions more closely to mind: how will we be remembered, what difference our life has made and what values and wisdom do we wish to pass onto our loved ones. Claire B. Willis, a clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience, speaks to all of these issues in this program.

Claire B. Willis, a clinical social worker, has been working in the fields of oncology and bereavement for more than twenty years. She is the co-founder of the Boston non-profit Facing Cancer Together where she facilitates bereavement, end-of-life support and therapeutic writing groups. Her work and her life experience were the primary sources of inspiration for both books, Lasting Words: A Guide to Finding Meaning Toward the Close of Life and her recently co-authored book, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way From Loss to Peace.