When I started down this path as author, there was a weird paranoia that ran through my mind.
Would I be able to take the personal work outlined in THE BOOK, created by my mother, and share it with the world? Would I even be able to convince those closest to me, my spouse, children and sisters, how important it is that they too create a BOOK? What about my friends? What about strangers?
I questioned if I would be able to accurately incorporate everything that was in the heart and mind of my mother. These thoughts were all consuming and kept me up night after night as I watched the numbers on my digital alarm click the darkness away.
I know it sounds crazy…but I am happy to report that with only a few paranoid moments, I have been able to recognize that it is actually healthy to question how to best serve my readers. I ultimately came to understand that any action to help one person in the creation of THE BOOK, in any depth, providing any nugget of your personal wishes or even in any format, is success.
The unexpected benefit that came out of this project is the shared learning and camaraderie with all of the subject matter experts that helped me research the process. Of course, most importantly is my connection with you, the reader. Your ideas, your questions, and your best practices have made for a more robust book with different ideas on how to keep the lines of communication open.
I continue to encourage you to look around you and identify what is important to you, and who is important enough to share either an emotional connection, a physical remembrance or token part of your life. Armed with that information you will have the perfect guide on what decisions you have to make. Remember, if it’s important to you, your loved ones will also think it’s important and will do everything in their power to deliver your wishes.
Finally, use the 3 W’s that will help you with success towards your personalized blueprint: Write it down, identify What you want to have happen and finally Willingly and proactively share the information prior to your passing.
Carlene
