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October 2026
The Person I Hope to Be
Beginning With the End in Mind
My mother gave me a copy of Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” when I was in college. I probably would’ve been more interested if it had been called “How to Procrastinate Your Way to Success.” I certainly wasn’t expecting a book to ask me to imagine my own funeral. That is part of Covey’s second habit, “Begin With the End in Mind.” He asks you to picture a family member, a friend, someone from your work, and someone from your church or community speaking at your funeral. What would you hope each of them would say? I don’t remember taking it all that seriously at first. A few years later, I became more introspective, and early in my law practice, I reread the book every January. I did the exercise more than once, and I’m sure my answers changed along the way. They were probably longer at first, and if I’m being fair, probably a little more superficial, too. A Question to Ask (or Answer for) a Loved One Asking and answering important questions helps preserve your family’s values and life
that I used what I knew to help them than remember the letters after my name. The same is true of the other roles. They have less to do with what I have accomplished and more to do with how I hope I showed up for the people in my life. I hope my family knew they were loved and that I was there for them. I hope my friends remember the good times, the hard times, and maybe a few things we got away with that we probably shouldn’t have. Mostly, I hope something
small brings me to mind once in a while. I hope the people I worked with felt that I helped when I could. I also hope people can forgive me for the times I fell short or hurt them without even realizing it. Of course, hoping to be remembered a certain way and actually living that way are two different things. Looking at the exercise again reminds me that some of these answers are still aspirational. I could be more intentional about becoming the person those words describe. If I come back to this exercise 10 years from now, I don’t expect the list to change much. I just hope it’s more true. I would like to
lessons for generations to come. What one thing could you start (or stop) doing that would make a tremendous positive difference in your life?
I used to give a lot of public workshops, and one of my slides was basically an ego slide. It listed the credentials and accomplishments meant to convince everyone in the room that I knew what I was talking about. Early on, there wasn’t much to put in there, so a lot of those accomplishments had to work pretty hard. Eventually, I accumulated real credentials and held some leadership roles I’m proud of. None of those come to mind when I think about how I want to be remembered now, though. It all boils down to four roles I care about most: husband, father, trusted advisor, and friend. The professional one has changed over time. I used to say “lawyer,” but “trusted advisor” comes closer to what I hope the work has meant. I would rather someone remember
be a better husband, a better father, a better trusted advisor, and a better friend. Maybe that’s the real value of beginning with the end in mind. It gives you a chance to work on the ending while you still have plenty of story left.
Philip J. Corson, Founder
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” MATTHEW 25:21
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Leaving an inheritance is one of the most personal acts of love a parent can offer. But what happens when you don’t intend to divide it equally among your children? Parents choose unequal inheritances for many valid reasons. One child may be significantly more financially secure than the others. A child may have provided years of caregiving or lived with the parent later in life. Some families have children with special needs who require extra support, or one child may already have received a substantial gift, such as help with a business or a down payment. Blended families and estranged relationships can add even more complexity to the already difficult decision. An unequal inheritance usually isn’t what causes conflict after a parent passes. It’s the silence around it. When heirs are left to guess why, hurt feelings and disputes follow, but there are strategies that can help protect your wishes and your family’s relationships. Start by working with an estate planning attorney to put your intentions in writing, clearly and specifically. Vague language leaves room for THE ESTATE PLAN THAT NEEDS AN EXPLANATION Leaving an Unequal Inheritance Without Family Conflict
interpretation, and interpretation is where conflict begins. If you’re reducing what a specific person gets or leaving out an heir entirely, avoid doing so without explanation. A personal letter included with your legal documents can also help soften the emotional impact. Even though it carries no legal weight, a sincere explanation of your choices can reduce hurt and confusion more effectively than financial details alone. Honest conversations with your heirs may also prevent misunderstandings down the line. In situations where conflict is likely, appointing a neutral executor or trustee can ensure fair decisions and prevent family members from feeling caught in the middle. The families who handle this well aren’t the ones who split everything evenly. They’re the ones who leave nothing unexplained. That’s the part worth getting right, and it’s something the right legal guidance can help you put in place.
WHEN A TINY DOG MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE Meet the Chihuahua That Helped Save Its Owner’s Life in the Swiss Alps
Sometimes, a lifesaving hero weighs less than 10 pounds, has four tiny paws, and refuses to leave their favorite human’s side. That’s exactly what happened recently in the Swiss Alps, where a determined Chihuahua proved that courage has nothing to do with size. According to Air Zermatt, a Swiss rescue, training, and transport company, a man was exploring the Fee Glacier when he broke through a snow bridge and plunged nearly 26 feet into a hidden crevasse. Thankfully, he had a walkie-talkie and managed to contact someone nearby, who alerted emergency responders. There was just one problem: No one knew exactly where he fell.
man had fallen. Rescuers rappelled down, safely pulled him out, and flew both the man and his loyal companion to a nearby hospital. According to Air Zermatt, the Chihuahua’s persistence made all the difference. Air Zermatt spokesman Bruno Kalbermatten summed it up best: “Imagine if the dog wasn’t there. I have no idea what would happen to this guy. I think he wouldn’t survive this fall into the crevasse.” The company didn’t hesitate to give credit where it was due, calling the Chihuahua a “four-legged hero” that likely saved its owner’s life.
Stories like this are a wonderful reminder that our pets often understand far more than we realize. They comfort us when we’re sad, celebrate us when we come home, and, every now and then, remind the world that loyalty is one of the greatest superpowers of all. So, the next time someone jokes that Chihuahuas are all bark and no bite, you can tell them about one fearless little dog that helped rescuers find its owner.
For about 30 minutes, a rescue helicopter searched the vast glacier without success. Then someone on the rescue crew noticed something unusual … a tiny, fluffy Chihuahua pacing back and forth on a rock. That little dog wasn’t wandering aimlessly. It was waiting. The rescue team flew closer, and as they focused on the Chihuahua, they finally spotted the opening to the crevasse where the
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In 1587, more than 100 people stepped off a small ship onto an island. Within three years, every single one of them was gone. They left no graves, wreckage, or signs of trouble, only a single word carved into a wooden post for whoever came looking. That colony was Roanoke, located off the coast of present-day North Carolina. John White led the expedition, funded by Sir Walter Raleigh. In total, 90 men, 17 women, and nine children made the crossing. Among them was White’s own daughter. Days after they landed, his granddaughter, Virginia Dare, became the first English child born in America. Soon after, the colonists convinced White to sail home for supplies, and he fully intended to return within months. Instead, war intervened. The Spanish Armada was bearing down on England, and Queen Elizabeth refused to release ships that might be needed for battle. White couldn’t return to Roanoke for three years. When he finally arrived in 1590, the settlement had been abandoned. The colonists had vanished without a trace, leaving behind just one mysterious clue. The word “CROATOAN” was carved into a wooden post, while the letters “CRO” had been etched into a nearby tree. White had told the colonists to carve a cross if they were in danger, but no cross was found anywhere. A storm rolled in before he could investigate further, and no European ever saw the colonists again. Historians have been searching for the answer to this mystery for centuries. The carvings they left behind led some to believe the colonists moved to nearby Croatoan Island, which is now called Hatteras Island. Others argue they moved toward the Chesapeake, as originally planned, or split apart and settled farther inland among the Tuscarora and Chowanoc. Modern archaeology has added new pieces to the puzzle. Archaeological excavations on Hatteras Island and in inland North Carolina have uncovered English pottery, a gold signet ring, and evidence of blacksmithing alongside Native American artifacts, suggesting the two cultures may have lived together. Many researchers now believe the colonists may not have vanished at all. Instead, at least some may have left Roanoke and been absorbed into the Native communities around them. Four centuries later, America’s oldest mystery may not be the tragedy most believe. It might be a story still waiting for an ending. ROANOKE’S VANISHING ACT STILL BAFFLES HISTORIANS The Colony That Disappeared
TAKE A BREAK
AUTUMNAL BLACK CAT CINNAMON CORNFIELD EERIE FOLIAGE HAUNTING HORROR LATTE MARIGOLD OPAL TWILIGHT
Cider-Braised Chicken
Ingredients
• 4 slices bacon, chopped • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 lbs) • 2 medium tart red apples, cored and cut into wedges • 1 12-oz bottle hard cider
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme • 2 tbsp whole grain mustard • 1 tsp kosher salt • 12 oz fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Directions 1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan, reserving drippings in skillet. 2. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook 10 minutes or until browned, turning once; remove from skillet. 3. Add apples to skillet; cook 4 minutes or until browned on both sides; remove from skillet. 4. Discard drippings. 5. Add cider, thyme, mustard, and salt to skillet, scraping up any browned bits. 6. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. 7. Add Brussels sprouts. Cover and cook 5 minutes. 8. Add apples and cook, uncovered, 3–5 minutes more or until chicken is at least 175 F. 9. To serve, divide chicken, Brussels sprouts, and apples among bowls or plates. Spoon cider mixture over top. Sprinkle each with bacon.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Living More Intentionally in the Roles That Matter
2
A Fair Approach to an Unfair-Looking Will
This Chihuahua Just Became Everyone’s Favorite Hero
3
Cider-Braised Chicken
Digging Into History’s Most Puzzling Disappearance
4
The Cat Who Had Everything Except an Inheritance A CELEBRITY CAT, A TANGLED ESTATE, AND A LESSON WORTH HEEDING What Choupette’s Missing Millions Can Teach Us
If there was ever a cat living her best life, it was Choupette. The beloved Birman of fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld traveled by private jet and dined from fine china. She also had not one but two personal maids attending to her around the clock, one for the day and one for the night. Those maids were even tasked with keeping handwritten daily journals of her every move so that Lagerfeld could read them later. He called Choupette “the center of the world,” and obviously meant it.
Lagerfeld passed away in 2019, and more than seven years later, not a single named beneficiary has received anything from his estate, which is estimated at somewhere around $200 million. The reasons for his estate issues are stacking up. French tax authorities have demanded approximately $45 million in back taxes. A mystery plaintiff has since emerged to challenge the claim that Lagerfeld was of sound mind when he signed his will, which could leave the estate to family members he’d cut out of his life decades earlier. Meanwhile, Caçote has had to hire lawyers at her own expense to pursue the claim. The lesson here has little to do with cats or couture. It’s about what happens when a person’s intentions meet unexpected legal and tax realities without a solid plan in place. Lagerfeld’s estate is extreme, but the fault lines that split it open, including steep tax exposure and a contested will, aren’t exclusive to the ultra-wealthy.
He also meant it when he promised she’d be taken care of after his death. Since French law doesn’t allow animals to inherit, Lagerfeld arranged for funds to pass to his
former housekeeper, Françoise Caçote, who would use them for Choupette’s care. That part was straightforward, and the rest of the story … hasn’t been.
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