A note from Second Harvest: August is National Make-A-Will Month. In the following story, Second Harvest donor Karin shares her family’s practical and heartfelt reasons for making legacy gifts.
Where there’s a will there’s a way. A path. Some guidance and a basic recipe. While it may seem not only depressing but also daunting to write a will and other essential legal documents, it can be a freeing and enriching process.
My mom Wilma and dad Wayne were planners and lived by a chosen and guided path. For crops in the garden, recipes and menus for hosting meals, saving for home maintenance or scheduling appointments. Their priorities and values showed through the basics of their daily lives and choices and extended into their planning for aging and end of life. The military pilot and military nurse did things deliberately and intentionally. They instilled their values into our family, and as their only child, I have benefitted from their love and their practical approach. I want to be a good steward of their ways.
Our writing then revisiting and updating legal documents gave us the chance for clarity in wishes. Think of writing a will as writing your life principles. What are your values and priorities? What people and causes do you want to protect and support? How do you want your legacy to be upheld? Discussing preparation of legal documents doesn’t need to be boring. It can be a conversation across generations, infused with stories and learning, just like sharing a treasured family recipe, and baking it together.
Documenting your priorities for supporting friends, family, and causes at your death helps clarify your wishes for those who will carry them out, and it unburdens them from cumbersome legal processes. Reflecting on your wishes for the time of your death can actually enrich your while-living actions and choices. My parents gifted me with the foundation of knowing exactly what they would want. Not everything can be captured in legal documents — some I carry in my memory and heart. The adjustments to the recipe. And I don’t have to hesitate in carrying out their intent.
Are you in a position to make some donations or gifts during your lifetime, and be able to see the benefit and share some joy while you’re alive to see it? Charitable donations made while living may be prudent for tax optimization as well, benefitting both you and the organizations you want to support.
Pre-planning allows for more choices and clarity, as with choosing your path on a map. The closer you get to your destination, the fewer options there are. Let planning your will with your loved ones and upholding your priorities be like planning a trip for your biggest journey—your life. It’s best done over a cup of tea, with cookies and hugs. Make memories while you’re deciding how you want to be remembered.
Join our Kay Porta Legacy Society by remembering Second Harvest in your will. Visit 2-harvest.org/legacy to find a free tool to create or update your will. If you need it, we can refer you to a generous partner willing to provide free witness and notary service. To learn more, reach out to Katie Toth at 509-252-6292 or Katie.Toth@2-harvest.org.
