Living On

Living On

The concept for myheartwill.com was inspired by Jill Margo and her daughter Emily's book, Living On, a manuscript dedicated to helping people create an emotional legacy that will live on after they have gone.

Living On suggests a new kind of will beyond legalities and the bequeathing of material goods. It is about creating a will from the heart, about passing on emotional wealth: feelings, memories, hopes, beliefs and experiences.

When media entrepreneur John Barnett heard about the book he was taken with the concept and raised some valid points. He wondered, “Once an emotional legacy is created, how can it be protected? How can its precious content be kept safe and secure? And how can one be certain it’s seen by only those it is intended for?”

Barnett recognised the need for an online space that enables such content to endure and to be accessed from around the world.  Barnett also believed it was necessary to provide users with the ability to send dedicated messages to loved ones in the future.  From there, myheartwill.com was born.

It all began with a favour for a friend, a gesture Jill and Emily never imagined would gather momentum and grow into a book, much less a website.

“A few years ago, I was asked to help a young mother of three, whom I had never met. She had recently learned she was gravely ill and that her time was limited. In her great distress, her main concern was her children growing up without her,” Jill explains.  “All she wanted to do was to make a tape recording for them, to leave them with a sense of herself, her love, faith and memories.”

With so much to say and so little time, the woman felt overwhelmed, so Jill drew up a simple plan to help her make the tape, to prompt and guide her through the process.  The plan worked and the young mother showed it to her cancer specialist, who made copies for other patients he believed could also benefit from the plan.

For Jill, one of Australia’s most respected and highly awarded medical journalists, the task of guiding individuals through this process came naturally. She decided to expand on the idea, writing plans for video recordings and letters too.

Over time, material accumulated and it seemed there was enough to put together a book. For help writing the book, Jill turned to her eldest daughter, Emily.  Emily says, “The book was originally written for people who had a life-limiting illness and who wanted to leave some sense of themselves behind.  The website builds on this concept and opens it up to anyone, at any stage of their lives, who wants to begin creating an emotional legacy.

“While Living On talked to a specific audience, myheartwill.com talks to everyone.  It’s useful for people of all stages.  Anyone can start the process of building their own emotional legacy and continue it for an afternoon, a couple years or the rest of their lives.  As unique as each individual throughout every stage of life, the site is built to evolve with you, guiding the steps of guarding your legacy."

“The beautiful thing about a Heartwill is that it can take any form or shape - the only limitation is imagination. It’s not about making a comprehensive family history - it’s not a personal memoir of facts and chronology.  Rather it’s about creating the ‘taste’ of a memory or occasion, recording important moments and events, sharing memories and family stories. And you can create dedicated messages to loved ones for the future. You can start building it at anytime, slowly putting things together.”

Jill adds, “You don’t have to worry about it all being in order. It’s not about perfect text, it’s about emotional texture. When you include a photo it’s not about keeping a photographic record, it’s about keeping alive the emotion within the photo.  It’s about keeping a feeling alive, and that in essence is what myheartwill.com represents..." - And that is the preservation of all that is precious to your legacy. Your story is worth telling - even more, it's worth saving... so it can be told again and again. Start Living On with your Heartwill today!

If you would like any more information about the book Living On, please contact us here.