Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values On Paper

Front Cover
Hachette Books, Dec 26, 2001 - Family & Relationships - 133 pages
A comprehensive, step-by-step resource, Ethical Wills gently guides us through the process of creating what can be one of the most valuable and cherished documents we leave behind. Clarifying and communicating the meaning of our lives for those who will survive us, an ethical will helps us reflect on and share our life's experience. Those who want to be remembered authentically and for their gifts of heart, mind, and spirit will take satisfaction in knowing that what they value most is "on the record," not to be lost or forgotten. Both a practical and a spiritual tool to use at any stage of life, Ethical Wills helps readers create, preserve, and share this important document with friends and family.

From inside the book

Contents

An Overview of Ethical Wills
1
An Ancient Custom Moves Forward
7
WHAT ARE ETHICAL WILLS AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
10
WHATS IN AN ETHICAL WILL?
16
Why and When to Write an Ethical Will
19
LIFE TRANSITIONS AND LIFECHANGING EVENTS
21
WHEN EVENTS CHANGE YOUR LIFE
27
How to Write an Ethical Will
31
STARTING WITH AN OUTLINE AND SPECIFIC WRITING EXERCISES
43
VALUES AND BELIEFS
45
APPROACH 3 STARTING WITH A BLANK SHEET OF PAPER
53
Preparing Caring for and Sharing Your Ethical Will
57
SHARING YOUR ETHICAL WILL
59
REVIEWING AND RENEWING YOUR ETHICAL WILL
61
VOICES OF THE HEART MODERN ETHICAL WILLS
65
ETHICAL WILL RESOURCES
125

STARTING WITH AN OUTLINE AND A LIST OF ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM
34
VALUES AND BELIEFS
36
LESSONS AND REFLECTIONS ABOUT LIFE
40
NOTES
129
Copyright

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About the author (2001)

Barry K. Baines, M.D., is Medical Director of Ucare, Minnesota, and Associate Medical Director of Hospice of the Twin Cities. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Legacy Center, an organization dedicated to preserving stories, values, and meaning for individuals, communities, and organizations. Dr. Baines lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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