Every person on this earth, who has lived long enough, will experience periods of bereavement and degrees of grief! That’s why it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Sandy Wheeler, founder of Life’s Final Thoughts. I hope you will explore this unique legacy gift for your family, whether you are a parent, a grandparent, or a single person, military or civilian, this tool is something everyone should investigate. It will make a difference for those who are closest to you. For now, I’ll let Sandy tell you about it in his own words. 

We all know that if we live long enough, we will experience some level of bereavement and grief. It’s reality. A day and an hour will come when we die. The question is how can we help those who survive us cope with that loss?

It was April 5, 1970. My year and half serving in Vietnam was completed as I boarded a jet back to the US. I had survived, and now I was heading home. I arrived on April 7th to be discharged. Soon after, I received the news that one of my best friends from high school had just been killed in Nam. The best word to describe that moment for me would be “crushed”. You see, my friend, Dennis, had a wife with a son on the way. That little boy would never hear his daddy’s voice or feel the touch of his embrace and kiss. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but later in life, Dennis’ death and the grief and bereavement his son experienced would be a major factor, among others, that eventually led me to the creation of two apps.

On August 6, 2011, at my friend’s guest home by lake Coeur d’Alene, I was enjoying my early morning coffee just as the sun began to rise. As I soaked in the beauty of that moment, my phone vibrated, and I immediately sensed something was desperately wrong. I was about to learn that thirty Americans, including seventeen Navy SEALS aboard a helicopter in Afghanistan had been shot down. Everyone on board perished. 

It was at the funeral of one of those SEALS that I realized how my vision of what God gave me about bringing encouragement and love into the reality of grief and bereavement was about to be stamped with an exclamation mark! At the conclusion of this great warrior’s funeral, the lights were turned off. In that total darkness a video began to play.

In that video this warrior’s wife heard her husband’s voice speak directly to her for six minutes. Then for the next four minutes he spoke of his love, encouragement, and advice to two little boys, ages 5 and 7 who would never see or hear their dad’s voice again. But in this video a lifeline had been thrown to those young boys. Now, every time they miss Dad, they can replay that video message, and hear his voice one more time.

Things really changed for me when my sister called one day crying. She told me she had just been diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer. “You know that App you talked about creating,” she said, “the one where I can leave video messages to my children and grandchildren? Do you think you can get that done because I don’t know if I will be around to watch them grow up and I want them to know me”.

That day stirred an increased motivation in me, but it was a particular event in Afghanistan again that would finally lead to the creation of Life’s Final Thoughts and Life’s Thoughts. It was a day when twelve Marines and one Navy Corpsman would, in the blink of an eye, be suddenly snatched out of their families’ lives forever. Crushed again, I realized that these families would no longer be able to hear the voice of their loved ones who had volunteered to serve this great nation.

That’s when I got to work and created my first App that would allow the voice of someone, even when they’re gone from this life, speak a message or messages for those left behind. Their voice, their face, their personality, and their messages would live on for generations to come. These messages would help change the bereavement period and the degree of another’s grief. 

Knowing that those we love will one day experience grief at our passing, we can give a gift that provides encouragement and love in the form of a video message delivered to them at a future select date. Who wouldn’t treasure that kind of legacy gift to be left in their hands? That is why I developed this unique legacy gift for less than the price of a Hallmark Card.

For more information about how you can take advantage of this amazing tool for your family, contact Sandy Wheeler at [email protected] or on his cell phone at 509 670-9068. Be sure you also visit his website at www.lifesthoughts.com.

Cavin Harper is a graduate of Baylor University and Denver Seminary, Cavin Harper served as an associate pastor for 17 years before founding ElderQuest Ministrieswhich later became known as the Christian Grandparenting Network. He writes a weekly blog on grandparenting and has authored several books including Courageous Grandparenting: Building a Legacy Worth Outliving.

Featured Image by Tibor Pápai on Unsplash