A New Awareness

As I move through my fifties, I've noticed something unsettling. People my age are dying.

They're friends of friends. Former colleagues. People I went to school with.

I asked afriend, "Are more people dying, or is this just... where we are now?"

Her response was simple: "It's our age."

She explained that as we get older, our lives become stiller. The background noise fades. We notice things we didn't before. It's not that more people in this age group are dying than ever before—it's that death has entered our awareness in a new way.

My father understood this shift. As a rabbi, when he was in his fifties he regularly conducted funerals for people his own age. He saw how many left without saying what mattered most to their loved ones.

So he wrote us a letter—my brother, sister, and me.

And me? I've started my letter but haven't finished it. Classic, right? Like the contractor who never completes renovations on their own home while beautifying everyone else's.

That changes this week.

Because if there's one thing this new awareness of mortality teaches us, it's that tomorrow isn't guaranteed for any of us.

What would you write if you sat down today?

If you want to write your own love letter to your family but aren't sure where to start, I'm here to help. I offer a free "Letter Starter" consultation where we can discuss your hopes for your letter and get it done.