Legacy Letter

Why this story is important

A legacy letter allows you to transmit intangible wealth — your beliefs, lessons, hopes, regrets, and wisdom — rather than merely material assets. It conveys why you made certain choices, what mattered most, and how you hope others will live. Through stories, reflections, and personal details, you preserve your voice and perspective for future generations. Loved ones gain a bridge to understand not just who you were, but why you thought and felt as you did.

Writing a legacy letter can help you confront unspoken issues — offering forgiveness, expressing gratitude, declaring hopes, or closing open wounds. It can bring peace to both you and your recipients. When you’re no longer able to speak, a legacy letter becomes one of the lasting ways you can continue to influence, bless, or guide loved ones. It ensures that your voice lives on in their lives. Legacy letters are rooted in older traditions (like the “ethical will”) of transmitting moral and spiritual instruction to descendants. You carry forward that tradition in a modern form.

Preparation checklist

• Gather your thoughts and materials. Review your journals and notes that might help you remember details.
• Browse your photo albums to stimulate memories and choose the photos you might want to use in the story.
• Decide who you’ll share the finished story with. Just yourself? Family? Friends? Public post? Thinking about your audience in advance will help guide what memories and details to include and which ones to leave out.

How to use the Times of My Life App to capture your story:

*The Virtual Biographer has instant access to similar stories written and shared by millions of other people. It knows what questions to ask and in what order. It can help you relive events, thoughts and feelings. It can help illuminate the essence of your experience and then craft a story that is uniquely yours. If a question doesn’t seem relevant to your experience, just skip it. Answer at least five questions. Tap “Next” and tap “Additional Details” to speak or type from memory.

Add media, save and publish as a printed piece, audiocast, and/or video

Insert photos and video clips wherever you want them to appear in the story narrative. Add voice narration and background music if you want to create an audiocast or video, in addition to a printed piece.

Share and revise as desired

After the story is written by you or your virtual biographer, you can “share” it through he app with friends and loved ones. Their feedback can provide valuable perspective and help you improve your story. After you get their feedback you can go back and edit the story as desired — or ask the Virtual Biographer to rewrite it with the feedback!

Related Stories

• Core Values and Beliefs
• Principles and Philosophies
• Life Lessons
• Viewpoints
• Hopes for the Future
• Remember Me

Write the Story Yourself: Suggested Outline

❤️ 1. Opening Message

• Begin with a heartfelt greeting to the people you’re writing to.
  Who is this letter for — your children, grandchildren, family, friends, or future generations?
• Express your love, appreciation, and reason for writing this legacy letter.
  Example: “I wanted to share a few thoughts and memories that tell you who I am, what I’ve learned, and what I wish for you.”
• Set the tone — warm, honest, reflective, and personal.

🌿 2. Looking Back: My Life and Lessons

• Share brief reflections on your life journey — milestones, defining moments, and lessons learned.
• What experiences taught you the most about love, faith, resilience, kindness, or integrity?
• Were there moments of failure or hardship that taught you something essential?
• What do you most want your loved ones to understand about how you’ve lived and why you made certain choices?

🌞 3. Gratitude and Acknowledgment

• Express gratitude to the people who have enriched your life — family, friends, mentors, or communities.
• Mention individuals by name if possible, and share what they meant to you.
• Acknowledge relationships that brought joy, healing, or lessons.
• If appropriate, offer forgiveness or ask for it — this can bring peace and closure for everyone.

🌻 4. Hopes, Dreams, and Blessings for the Future

• What do you most wish for your loved ones as they continue their journeys?
  Examples: happiness, courage, faith, curiosity, compassion, perseverance.
• Offer guidance or advice — life principles that you hope will serve them well.
• Share your hopes for how your values might continue through them.
• Encourage them to live authentically, love deeply, and carry forward your best lessons.

🕊️ 5. Closing Words of Love and Farewell

• Conclude with a personal reflection or heartfelt goodbye.
  Examples: “Know that you are loved beyond measure.” “You have made my life richer than I ever dreamed.”
• If you wish, include a favorite quote, blessing, poem, or family saying.
• End with your name, nickname, or simply — “With love, always.”

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