Leaving a Legacy
How often do you sit back and think about what you will leave behind when you leave this Earth? I don't mean an inheritance for your children, I am talking about what you are truly going to be remembered and known for unless your inheritance is just that.
My sister recently got married and there is a picture of 4 generations of the women in our family. None of us ruled the world, popped up on the big screen or have a building named after us and more than likely never will. However, there is a whole lot of personality and history captured in one image.
I think about my grandmother who is in her late 80s, is still vibrant and healthy. I don't know what she would want us to remember about her life, but what I think of is a woman who raised 6 children - that alone is strength. I then think of her getting divorced a long, long, long time ago when it wasn't an acceptable practice. She then found the love of her life, my grandfather. They did everything together, no they weren't perfect, but there was love. I remember being at his funeral when I was 5 months pregnant with A and there was my grandmother holding his hand until they forced her to close the casket. My grandmother could have given up right there, could have laid down to join my grandfather, but she didn't. In the 9 years since then she has beat cancer and is still wildly inappropriate in her stories sometimes.
I also think about my mom, the youngest of Grandma's children. My mom is a woman with a mission. She sets her goal and then watch out because you do not want to be in her way when she is on the road to achievement. My mom is also a woman that you don't want to mess with, I've seen her put grown men in their place without thinking twice. She is generous, almost to a fault. Always willing to open to her heart, home and wallet to help people. There are so many examples I could give, but unlike my grandmother, my mom actually reads this so I'll save that information for private conversations.
So that leads to the next generation, me. What are my children going to think of me when they describe me to their friends and what about the future when I'm not here? Will they be proud? Will they think that I was strong, successful, kind? What will my legacy be? What will yours be?
My sister recently got married and there is a picture of 4 generations of the women in our family. None of us ruled the world, popped up on the big screen or have a building named after us and more than likely never will. However, there is a whole lot of personality and history captured in one image.
I think about my grandmother who is in her late 80s, is still vibrant and healthy. I don't know what she would want us to remember about her life, but what I think of is a woman who raised 6 children - that alone is strength. I then think of her getting divorced a long, long, long time ago when it wasn't an acceptable practice. She then found the love of her life, my grandfather. They did everything together, no they weren't perfect, but there was love. I remember being at his funeral when I was 5 months pregnant with A and there was my grandmother holding his hand until they forced her to close the casket. My grandmother could have given up right there, could have laid down to join my grandfather, but she didn't. In the 9 years since then she has beat cancer and is still wildly inappropriate in her stories sometimes.
I also think about my mom, the youngest of Grandma's children. My mom is a woman with a mission. She sets her goal and then watch out because you do not want to be in her way when she is on the road to achievement. My mom is also a woman that you don't want to mess with, I've seen her put grown men in their place without thinking twice. She is generous, almost to a fault. Always willing to open to her heart, home and wallet to help people. There are so many examples I could give, but unlike my grandmother, my mom actually reads this so I'll save that information for private conversations.
So that leads to the next generation, me. What are my children going to think of me when they describe me to their friends and what about the future when I'm not here? Will they be proud? Will they think that I was strong, successful, kind? What will my legacy be? What will yours be?
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