Legacy (May 12, 2009)

You have probably heard something like this before; "You can't take it with
you." It's a very simple phrase, it's easy to understand, and it’s only six words
long. I don't think any of us actually think for a second that we might be able
to bring our prized possessions with us. To me, it seems like most of the
emphasis is placed on what you can't take with you. We can't take much of
anything, not our possessions, not our families, not even our bodies. All that is fair and it is certainly true, but why don't we start switching that thought process? It's virtually saying the same thing; what can you leave behind? What can YOU leave behind? I'm not talking about leaving your children with a nice inheritance or a piece of land and so on. What legacy are you leaving behind? In recent weeks and months I've been left to think about that question over and over. Since the loss of my Father, I've been in awe of what he left behind, his legacy. In speaking with my mother, she almost always tells me her thoughts on her current situation. "The well of thanks and gratefulness for Ian and his life is deeper than the well of sorrow." That always knocks me off of my feet. How great a man must he have been that his wife of well over three decades is far more grateful for his life than sorrowful for having lost it? 

The legacy my father left behind is one of dedication, compassion, hard work, perseverance 
and most importantly, love. 

I was first reminded of this at his memorial service; over 700 people came to thank him for his life and his legacy. Time and time again in the last month and a half, I've been confronted with the legacy that my Father left behind. What can I leave behind? How can I be as great a man as my Father was? It seems overwhelming, how could I possibly love and provide as wonderfully as my Father did? I don't know the answer to that question. I do know however that deep down inside of me and inside of you is something great. We may not have the same gift of days as the next person, but we still have something that we can leave behind. 

What can you leave for your family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances and so on? Who can you impact that you may not even know, now or ever? What can you do in your sliver of eternity that will last? What can YOU leave behind?