The practice of writing posthumous letters has been around for a very long time, dating all the way back to biblical times. References to posthumous letters appear in both the Old Testament (Genesis Ch. 49) and New Testament (John Ch. 15 – 19). In the Medieval 18th century, fathers wrote legacy letters to their sons, as did leaders to their disciples. Nowadays, posthumous communications are fairly common, including those from famous folks. Children’s book author Maurice Sendak, creator of “Where the Wild Things Are”, wrote a bittersweet goodbye to the world. And who can forget the famous “Last Lecture” video by Randy Pausch. Intended as a legacy for his children, the Carnegie Mellon professor who had incurable pancreatic cancer gave his last lecture in 2007. It was viewed over 16 million times!
Many people take care of their loved ones financially via life insurance policies and wills. But the best gift of all is to give a piece of oneself. Imagine a child or grandchild many years from now reading a note you wrote for him or her, filled with wonderful sentiments, unconditional love and bits of advice about life. As they read, a big smile spreads across their face. That note becomes their touchstone, a permanent record of your heart speaking to theirs. Enter Heart Writing, a site for the creation and delivery of posthumous notes. With Heart Writing, folks can create notes for up to 40 loved ones and choose from a variety of delivery options: old-fashioned postal service, email or delivery via a third party.
