Death Letters: The Thing Actually That Helps Me Sleep Best At Night
A letter to those you care about, to help them after you're gone.
As part of growing to become a responsible adult, these are the top things that help me sleep best at night:
A legal will, with a guardian set up for my kids
Life insurance (and consider Disability insurance, if you are the main breadwinner)
Death letters
I don't recall where I discovered this term.
I wrote a letter to each of my kids, telling them that I loved them and what I would want them to know if I suddenly died and they had nothing left behind. Telling them the message that I would want them to read. So that even if I die suddenly - at least they will not be left alone, adrift, and empty-handed; they will at least have a *message* from me, imparting what advice I can and letting them know they are loved.
The first step of course is spending quality time with the people that you love, and building a positive relationship.
But the second step, for me, was also leaving something behind. It has to be better than nothing. It is my attempt to arm them for the future, in a last-ditch way when that's all I have left.
Signed, dated, and tucked in with the will. Copied and given to our executor.
These letters were difficult to write. It was an emotional process. It took me a while.
But damn it helps me sleep so much better at night, knowing that there is still a reasonable fail-safe that I can leave them, even if the worst happens.
It was worth doing. I would do it again.