Recently, I watched Jimmy Carter’s funeral on YouTube, and what I found very touching was when the Ford and Mondale families read heartfelt eulogies that were written years in advance. Their pact to honor each other in this way was both inspiring and deeply touching. I suspect President Carter might have written their eulogies and presented his written words he also crafted long ago. This pact they had was that each crafted their eulogy, and as each died, the living would present their eulogy. Both Ford and Mondale passed away, but their eulogies for president Carter lived to tell us about their beautiful friendships. This pact to me is sort of like a pinky promise.
Pinky Promise
Remember as kids, when something was really important, you’d seal it with a pinky promise? This pinky promise or eulogy pact is a heartfelt way to honor each other through words that will live on. You would need to figure out which family members and friends would like to make a pinky promise eulogy pact with you, as the pact is what makes this truly special.
Getting Started
To me, this could be the hard part: deciding who you want to have a eulogy pact with. Maybe, if you’re really ambitious, you might have multiple pacts, like one for your family and another for close friends. You decide how the pact will be done—will you share what you wrote, or will it be tucked away, with occasional additions as the years go by?
You determine how many people will be in your pact, but for me, I might start with just one, as my stumbling block would be writing the eulogy. To help remember do things that trigger your memories about your family or friends. Sometimes, it might be as simple as looking at photos or handling an object to bring those memories back.
Closing Thought
I know a eulogy pact might sound morbid at first, but think about the flip side—it’s a beautiful way to celebrate each other in the here and now. When the time comes, this heartfelt pact will serve as a cherished memory. If one passes away, the surviving person will read their eulogy.
Later, when the second person passes, the eulogy written by the first person will be read, ensuring both lives are celebrated and remembered. The best part? This pact can live on for future generations, displayed on their page in your ancestry tree, creating a lasting legacy for others to cherish. You never know where the next ancestry tip will come from.
Happy sleuthing!
Nancy Dru