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: Practical Paralegalism

Paralegal Creates Website for the Things You Would Have Said

By Lynne DeVenny

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"If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?" ~ Stephen Levine

And if you can't find that person you want to make amends to before you die, what would you do?

Maybe you'd express your regrets at the website The Things You Would Have Said (http://wouldhavesaid.com/). The site simply offers users an opportunity to publish an acknowledgment or apology:

Whether the person has passed away, contact was lost, or the strength needed at the time was lacking, this is a chance to say what you have always wanted them to know.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the unusual website is the brainchild of a paralegal:

A year-and-a-half ago, Jackie Hooper, 24, of Portland, Ore., was shocked at the sudden skiing-related death of actress Natasha Richardson, and, yes, you do need to hang on to see how all of this connects. Hooper, a paralegal, said Richardson's untimely death "reminded me about how quickly things can change." Too quickly, perhaps, for those who suddenly wake up with regret to try to do right by those they've hurt.
She created http://www.wouldhavesaid.com/, and began traveling to schools, jails, rehabilitation facilities and retirement homes, inviting people from ages 9 to 89 to write that long-stored mea culpa.
"People got it right away," Hooper said.

In addition to speaking to groups in person, Hooper has created a Twitter feed @wouldhavesaid and a Facebook page to get the word out about the site.

There are a wide range of sentiments included in recent posts to the website. Some of the posts by people expressing their love and longing for deceased partners, or apologizing for not being part of their children's lives due to addiction issues, brought tears to my eyes, and reminded me how lucky I am to have love in my life. A post by a woman forgiving her rapist, and another by a woman forgiving her abusive ex-husband, made me marvel at the power of human resilience. And I had to smile at a post from a 9-year old boy, who asks a dog for forgiveness after tormenting him and taking his bone - and acknowledges that a dog has "strong feelings."

Whether mostly anonymous mea culpas are your cup of tea or not, there's no doubt that the site provides some thought-provoking content. It made me stop and think about a few apologies of my own I'd like to make. I'll try to track those people down personally, but if I can't, I'll know The Things You Would Have Said is there for me.

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on September 16, 2010 (boomark / email).