Forgotten Treasure: Capturing Love in a Moment in Time

When Reality of Death Wakes you Up

The rain pelted at the window as my 13-year-old daughter and I cracked open a journal I saved from my days as a teenager. I recently rescued the Hilroy notebook from the dusty box that had been in storage longer than she’s been alive. We lay on our backs on my bed, looking up at the yellow book as I read verbatim how I longed for a boyfriend, the teachers I didn’t like, and how painful and futile it felt to wear a back brace for my scoliosis. And then there it was… a journal entry that had completely slipped my mind!

“On October 5th, 1980, I was in a car accident on the way back from Toronto [to Montreal]. It definitely ranks as the scariest thing that ever happened to me. As the car turned in the air, I thought my life was ending.”

I never forgot being sixteen and sitting in the passenger seat of the car when it flipped on the highway. I didn’t need to reread my journal to recall every little detail, but what I wrote at the end had completely escaped my memory.

The Reality of Death Compels us to Hold On Tighter to Love and Life

After explaining what happened and feeling lucky that neither I nor my sister or parents were seriously hurt, I wrote this: “The point is: look how easily life could slip away. It’s the scariest thing. It’s something that people only read about in papers. It just doesn’t happen to you. It really makes you think. If I’m to die – unexpectedly, there are a lot of things I’d like to say to people, so here goes…”

And then right there on the lined pages, as ordinary as can be, I wrote a short end-of-life “Love Letter” to each of my closest friends, Nina, Gail, and Liana. In each letter I told them what I loved about them and our relationship, and what I hoped for them and their future. Wow! Is this where I started my journey to WILLOW and heart-centered end-of-life planning?

I had a brush with death and felt compelled to hold on tighter to what mattered most to me; my friends. I wanted them to see me and know that I saw them and cherished our special connection. I wasn’t taking anything for granted.

Capturing Love in Words Makes a Lifetime of Difference

The letters captured a moment in time when I felt so lucky to be alive. Reading them many years later reminde me to be grateful for every moment. Just this week, I dropped my daughter at school after having argued with her most of the morning. I told her that I never want to part angry because anything can happen. Within minutes we were sending loving texts to each other.

Share the Love with an End of Life Letter 

What are you waiting for? Write your own lasting messages to those you love. Download here your free copy of Willow’s Five-Minute Legacy Love Letter exercise.

What about you?

How has the reality of death impacted you?

What is your experience (or hope) around writing end-of-life letters to those you love?