Sharing our memories and traditions with our loved ones one of the most important, and rewarding, ways of leaving behind a rich legacy.
For most Christian churches in the West, this is Holy Week, the most sacred week of the year that culminates in the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter. One of my family’s Holy Week traditions is to host a Seder meal, which is a ritualized retelling of the Passover story. The rich, symbolic tradition of the meal stretches back in different forms for thousands of years, connecting us to a deep well of memory and meaning. It is one of my wife’s favorite events of the year, and she makes a point of inviting new families so they can, in turn, share the tradition with others. This year we had four other families with us, which made it an especially joyful occasion. My children each have their own favorite parts, whether it is watching Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (an annual preparation tradition), asking “The Four Questions,” singing the songs, or sharing foods we don’t eat at any other time.
One of the themes of the Seder is the importance of memory and tradition. God commanded the Israelites to teach their children the story so they would never forget how God freed their people from slavery. Each generation must teach the next so that the story will never be lost. As I think about my own family, it is easy to think of examples of people and events that will be forgotten if I do not take the time to tell and re-tell the stories. There is something important about the repetition, practicing the habit even if we think we already know it. Every year there’s a point during the preparation where I think, “Life is busy, do we need to do this again?” And every year when we’ve done it I think, “That is so important, we need to do it again next year.”
Listening to clients share their family stories and history is one of the most rewarding parts of estate planning. I often wonder if my client’s families have heard all the stories that have been shared with us. Teaching the next generation by sharing our stories of faith and our family traditions is one of the most rewarding ways to pass on our legacies. It gives the next generation a grounding for when they encounter something hard in their lives. When I gather with my family for Easter this year, I will be thinking about the stories I should be passing on to them. I’m willing to bet there are a few stories each of us can tell, or re-tell, to those closest to us.
