Thoughts for Thursday

Leaving a Legacy

A while back my 5 year old daughter & I were driving down the road at night & she was looking up at the moon. She was asking me some pretty deep questions when all of a sudden she came out with, “Why does Daddy have those lines (aka wrinkles) on his forehead?” The laughter that ensued could not be helped. A few months later she proceeded to speak of an older person and how their skin was “loose”. I’m always interested & amused to see how kids perceive us “old folks”.

I know we have all heard the phrase, “Leaving a Legacy” at some point. That phrase came to life for me when my Dad passed away almost 3 years ago. My son was only 2 weeks old & my daughter was 3 when we got the news. Not long after Dad died I remember sitting at my kitchen table & all of a sudden it hit me that after 29 years with him, now all I had were the memories. I can’t see or talk to him anymore, just remember our times together & things he told & taught me. I realized right then & there that when my kids grow up they too will have memories of me. What kind of memories will they have? I want my kids to have good memories of me, of the good times we had, and the good things my husband & I instilled in them. I don’t want them to remember me as a Mom who just cleaned house & never played with them, who gave spankings more than hugs, or didn’t say I love you enough. So I try each & every day to make good memories for them. I don’t know about you, but some days I lay my head down at night & wonder if I could have done a better job that day. Did I handle that situation correctly? Did I set a good example? Well, in the end I just pray. I pray I can be all of those things God wants me to be to my children.

I had already been thinking of writing about Leaving a Legacy when at a friend's Father's visitation I was speaking with someone about how many people were there & how amazing that was. I don’t remember who I was speaking with, but they said, “That just tells you what kind of legacy he is leaving behind.”

I hope my children’s memories of me are not just of the “lines on my forehead”, or the loose skin I have to look forward to, but of a Godly, loving Mom who they enjoyed trips to Disney with, bedtime stories, and lots of yucky vegetables I lovingly forced them to eat.

What kind of legacy will you leave behind?

P.S. Remembering the families left behind from 9/11 in my prayers today. May God bring you peace and comfort.

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