Writing a life story for our loved ones when we’re gone
“Looking for our truth, what really matters and what doesn’t are existential questions for every age and every stage in our lives,” says a rabbi and author Steve Leder.
It is said that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. Americans discuss the latter a lot, but they generally don’t pay that much attention to the former topic.
Steve Leder is a rabbi who has presided over 1,000 funerals. He has written eulogies and assisted people going through their toughest time, when families and individuals often learn or relearn what is most important in life.
Leder encourages people to write their life story, for themselves and their loved ones, by answering 12 questions before they die.
“What I have found in the answers is that what most people regret most is not something they did, but something they didn’t do.” — Steve Leder, rabbi and author
Listen: Why it’s important to reflect on life.
Guest
Steve Leder is a rabbi and author of “For You When I Am Gone: Twelve Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story.” He says it’s important to reflect on life because it may help us change our life in positive ways before it’s too late.
“What I have found, in the answers, is that what most people regret most is not something they did, but something they didn’t do,” says Leder. “The words they didn’t speak. The times they didn’t show up. The opportunity they didn’t grasp generally, by the way, because of fear.”
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