Steve Squires
Board President
All Souls Church, West Brattleboro VT
February 2004

Tracks Left Behind

There is nothing quite like the woods in winter. It is still and quiet, as if lifeless. Yet new snow soon reveals a different story. The sharp, cloven hooves of deer. The curious, ropy trails of rodents. Coyote tracks, so dog-like individually, yet forming purposeful paths unlike the meanderings of a dog. I seldom actually see the animals making these tracks. I don’t know where they went, what their mission was, and often not even their species. Yet their presence is recorded by the tracks they left behind. I am blessed to be there to witness them.

What will you leave behind? I hope you have planned better than I have. It’s a bit embarrassing. Despite having served as executor for two estates, I have yet to write my own will. Perhaps the act of admitting it will stir me into action. But I have thought about it quite a lot. A will is a great opportunity to support what you believe in, often to an extent not possible in life. Loved ones are usually provided for first, but other things you love or believe in also deserve consideration. Your will is your big chance to declare what you value most.

Your church has gratefully received several bequests over the years, but this seems more due to member generosity than any planning on the church’s part. Fortunately, including ASC in your will is no more complicated than stating the name of the church and a percentage or dollar amount. Several current members have done this, as I plan on doing. But we have no program for encouraging such giving, nor any formal policy on how the money is handled once received. We need to work on this. Planned giving can help provide long-term stability for the church, and can help members identify what they most value, and know they have taken action accordingly. May we all leave our tracks in the places we love.

  Steve