What Legacy Will You Leave?

This morning I find myself pondering the people who have come and gone in my life and the impact their presence had on me.

When I think of my mother, I remember her loving ways and her amazing talents. Despite her life-long bout with alcoholism, she was truly a good person and did her best to be a good mother to us.

When I think about the father I had just barely begun to know before his life was brutally taken, I remember his beautiful smile and his desire to overcome his drug addiction and live a better life.

When I think about my precious grandmother, I remember her kindness, patience, unconditional love, and unwavering devotion to her Lord and Savior. (I also remember the recipes she taught me that never included measurements:o))

When I think of my grandfather, I remember picking plums with him from their huge backyard tree, getting my hair caught in the branches, and my grandfather lovingly coming to my rescue. He was a great man.

When I think about my father's mother and both my great-grandmothers, I remember their strengths and ability to overcome trials and opposition.

Each and every one of these people were very dear to me and their presence in my life helped to make me who I am. Though all were dealt painful blows in their lives, they all took part in the legacy left for me, and I want to do all I can to make them proud and let them know that legacy was not left in vain.

I can't help but think of my children. What kind of legacy will I leave for them? What will they remember about me?
Will they remember me being a good mother? A good wife to their dad? A good daughter of God? A good person?
I sure hope so. I hope that at the end of my life, I, as well as them, and anyone else I have come in contact with, can look back and say, "She did good. She lived her best life."

So, what legacy will you leave?

Suggested Reading

Book: The Last Lecture
Author: Randy Pausch

Amazon

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

I watched Randy Pausch's lecture last year on the internet and then read his book. His words and story are very inspiring and his book really cause the reader to ponder his or her life and the mark you want to leave on the world. It's a book that everyone should read.
The Last Lecture can be purchased at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com

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