Legacy Work Brings Meaning at the End of Life
End-of-life planning, whether for yourself or a loved one, can be deeply emotional. A legacy project can bring meaning.
Legacy projects offers a powerful way to build purpose and connection during this final stage of life. They allow individuals to celebrate their lives and allows them to imagine life continuing beyond their death. For the family, these shared project often lead to meaningful connections and conversations that may not have taken place before.
What is Legacy Work
Legacy work involves creating a lasting reflection of one’s life and a chance to shape a lasting memory for friends and family. It’s a way to keep a person’s essence alive for future generations. Unlike financial inheritances or legal planning, legacy projects focus on what truly matters to individuals and families in the last stage of life. Things like capturing personal stories, compiling life time memories or sharing heartfelt advice.
While working on this project with my mother, I learnt so much about her, her childhood and the adventures her and my father went on before I was born. If not for this project I would never had know these things about my parents.
Jimmy L, 2025
Legacy projects can come in many forms, from writing letters and creating photo albums to recording video messages or crafting family recipes. An end-of-life doula can guide you through the process, helping you navigate emotional discussions and ensuring the experience brings both meaning and peace to all those involved.
Why Does it Matter
From my experience working with individuals and families approaching the end of life, I have found legacy work to be so important. Below are just some of the benefits I have seen after families work on a project together:
- Adds Purpose During End-of-Life Planning: Legacy projects allow individuals to shift their perspective from loss to contribution. This process can bring peach and a renewed sense of purpose, helping people celebrate their achievements and share what shaped them.
- Deepens Connections With Family: Legacy work fosters intimate moments of connection. Whether through storytelling or collaborating on projects, it strengthens bonds with loved ones in meaningful ways. It’s a chance to express love, gratitude, or forgiveness that might otherwise go unspoken.
- Provides Comfort to Future Generations: A letter, a treasured family photo album or the handwritten recipe’s of a family legacy become cherished reminders that legacy lives on. For families, legacy projects offer a bridge for meaningful discussions during the final stages of life, and after death, provide comfort and connection as they navigate grief.
Legacy Project Ideas
If you are ready to begin creating a legacy but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas of projects. Remember, however, that this is just a short list of ideas, the possibility for legacy projects are endless. The most important thing is that you pick something that is meaningful to you and your family!
- Write Letters
A letter can capture emotions, share wisdom, or express messages of gratitude or forgiveness. Letters can be one time gifts or you can write a series of letters to be opened by your loved ones at important milestones. - Create a family recipe book
For families who love to cook or share special moments over food, a family recipe book can be a valued keepsake. Working together to create a book of your favorite meals to cook or to share as a family can keep memories alive for generations to come, and enable families to keep food traditions alive. - Record Video Messages
Videos make it easy to preserve your voice, your personality, and the little things that made you, you! Your video can be an opportunity to share advice, record stories, or leave words of encouragement. Videos provide a deeply personal and meaningful legacy. - Teach Family Traditions
Pass on skills like cultural rituals or crafts, like how to knit or wittle. These skills, passed from generation to generation become the threads that bind families and root them in history. - Plant a Living Legacy
Planting a tree or creating a garden can be a beautiful ways for families to come together. It reminds us of hope, and the importance of life going on. A tree can provide shade for others to enjoy in the future – a special place for families to gather to remember you and to create new memories. You can visit A Living Tribute for information on how to partner with the organization to create a living legacy. - Compile a Playlist
Music is so closely attached to memories. Building a playlist that brings back memories of some of the important moments in your life is a way to reconnect with those memories. Some people chose to have this playlist playing during their last moments, bring peace to them as they transition.
Legacy projects can be as varied as the people that create them. This is an opportunity to be creative, and to bring to life something that has meant a lot to you through your life.
Tips for Starting Legacy Projects
It can feel daunting to start a legacy project, but it needn’t be. Here are some suggestions to getting started:
- Step 1: Reflect on Key Moments in your Life: Think about the things that have brought you joy, or the things you would love to pass on to your family or friends. Reflect on who you are, what your values are, the most poignant memories you have and the relationships that hold the most significance.
- Step 2: Choose a Manageable Project: Start small, with something meaningful but achievable. You don’t want to be overwhelmed or create unnecessary stress. Remember this is a time for fun and creativity.
- Step 3: Take it Slow: Legacy work isn’t a rush to the finish line. Give yourself time to move at your own pace. Enjoy the process. Take time to detour with your loved ones on stories and memories. The point is the journey, not only the destination.
If you need help, or don’t know how to make the most of your legacy project, consider seeking guidance from an End-of-Life Doula. Many end of life doulas specialize in guiding individuals and families through legacy work. The offer emotional and practical support to make this process both fulfilling and reflective, without being overwhelming.
The Legacy You Leave Behind
Legacy work service as a bridge, linking your life to the lives of your loved ones, both now and into the future. Leaving behind messages, memories and guidance can provide comfort and inspire new generations. For many, the act of creating a legacy bring not only peace, but also a renewed connection with loved ones.
If legacy work feels like the right step for your family or loved one, remember that support is always available. At butterfly wings we would be honored to support you and your loved one on this profoundly meaningful journey.