Offline But Not Forgotten

"Candy Darling on her Deathbed" by Peter Hujar

For those who want to plan ahead, there are new web services that allow you to compose your "final" email, and have it sent after you pass: mylastemail.com, youdeparted.com, lettersfrombeyond.com, and postexpression.com all offer this service. These sites also will also send instructions, final wishes, anything that you wish to communicate when you no longer can.

If something sudden happened to me tomorrow, there would be so much I wish I could have said. My friends and family know I love them, and while calling them today to tell them so isn't a bad idea, I think that having some special words after I die would be extremely meaningful. From words of encouragement, a private joke, even a confession. Let's face it, final words are a privilege that not all of us will have - surrounded by family and friends, passing on wisdom and words of encouragement. It's a romantic idea that rarely happens. Yet these sites give us the opportunity.

I especially like postexpression.com. You compose your messages ahead of time, and give a friend a "key" - when you depart (it's never "if" but "when") this "keyholder" can log in and unlock the messages and send them to the people on your list. If you're struggling with what to say, they even have "message suggestions" for specific relationships. Jilted lovers and online gamers included, even MySpace messages.