“…Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9
Recently, a friend posed a question on Face Book that made me think: What is your legacy? I used to think my children were my legacy and counted on them to keep my memory alive. Then I became a writer and realized that was another way to keep my memories alive. Words are powerful – it’s how this world was formed. Words become our reality. Before there was the written word, there was the spoken word. Histories and family traditions were handed down orally, passed from generation to generation. It’s how our Bible was created – it was spoken and handed down well before it ever became a written account. It’s how Alex Haley was able to trace his Roots – an old African told stories of his homeland, his capture and subsequent enslavement and taught them to his children. And, it’s also how my own parents instilled in me the wisdom of their generation which I am now able to pass to my own children.
Of course, I’m having about as much success with that as my parents had with me, LOL! It’s hit and miss at times, but I have hope that the seed I have sown will eventually take root in them as it inevitably did with me. My parents set the example in that they never stopped trying to reach me, never stopped talking to me and never stopped trying to impart that wisdom to me. No matter how stubbornly I rejected their teachings, they kept at it. So much so, that their words are still with me to this day. This is their legacy to me. It’s how they live on in me. It’s how they are immortalized. For as long as I live, they will live on.
“Longevity has its place.” Dr. Martin Luther King
When I was a young girl, I had a science teacher that told our class that our bodies were created to live forever. Our cells constantly regenerate. In theory, they should continue to regenerate cells of the same caliber, like for like, forever. But at some point, for no apparent reason, the cells create older versions of themselves, beginning the aging process. Some cells even get sick, regenerating in an abnormal fashion and turning against the body, resulting in diseases like cancer and leukemia. A healthy immune system will suddenly run amok and fight the body. Science has no explanation for why the normal regeneration process, that should keep us young and healthy forever, suddenly goes awry.
The answer lies in the beginning. We were created to live forever, initially. God created the heavens and the earth. For seven days he labored. The sun, moon and stars were formed; lakes, rivers and the creatures that dwell therein; birds that fly in the air and walk on the ground, vegetation to feed the animals that tread upon the earth. And then, there was the crowning pinnacle of His achievement – Man – created to have dominion over and to be a caretaker of the earth.
Then came the fall of mankind - Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and brought trouble upon us all. They believed the lies of the Serpent and God revoked the whole “eternal life” thing by forbidding them access to the Tree of Life. But the desire to live forever, to create something that survives the passage of time, still lives in each of us. It is inherent in our DNA. It’s why we have children. It’s in why we create businesses and dynasties. Or why we have statues erected in our names and plaques to memorialize our achievements. It’s also why you’ll see a message carved in a desk or on a tree: “Jane loves Jim” or “Max was here.” We want someone to know that we lived, that we “were here” and to not forget us. We want to live on.
Some folks, like the poor misguided young man who went on a shooting spree in Arizona, leaving several people dead and critically injuring Congresswoman Giffords, think that they have to kill someone or commit mass murder to make sure they are remembered. They are so afraid that their life will be meaningless, that they will leave this world and be completely forgotten that they carry out some insane plot to ensure their place in history and secure their fifteen minutes of fame. But there is a more positive way to leave your world better for your existence.
“… All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.” Acts 9:39
Dorcas (aka Tabitha) became sick and died. The believers were distraught; they mourned her passing and showed the Apostle Peter all the wonderful things she had created, with love, by her very own hands. These were tangible evidence of her good works. This was her ministry and her legacy. It was how she would best be remembered. How would you like to impact the world around you? What can you do to leave your imprint or make your mark in this world? How would you like to be remembered? What Dorcas did was relatively small but, in her world, it made her memorable. As Mother Theresa once said, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." We can create a legacy and live on through our actions.
Another FB friend recently decided that she would create her own personal ministry of encouragement to others. She just wanted to be that person to bless someone “on purpose.” I admired her effort because she was seeking to change her world and the people around her by bringing a positive spirit and influence into their lives. She spoke a wonderful blessing over me that touched me – for no other reason than just because she could. I think I will always remember that about her. And that is how we leave our mark – we leave the people around us better for having known us. It’s that simple.
I think what my parents did for me was done in a purposeful way, keeping in mind the kind of adult they wanted to produce and unleash upon the world. It was also done to prepare me to face some of life’s trials and tribulations. And it also happened to create a lasting legacy in me. So I write because I feel the same burden and responsibility to pass it on to the next generation and so that my own children will do the same. As my brother recently put it, “When you are an inspiration, you have an obligation!”
So ask yourself – what can I do? How do I want to be remembered? What can I do to create a lasting legacy? I think that whatever you do, as long as you do with a spirit of love, no matter how great or small an act, you won’t have a problem being remembered. We can live our lives “on purpose,” keeping in mind the kind of final result we want to achieve and how we want to be perceived. To paraphrase Queen “Who wants to live (on) forever?” I think we all do.
Be blessed,
Loria
Recently, a friend posed a question on Face Book that made me think: What is your legacy? I used to think my children were my legacy and counted on them to keep my memory alive. Then I became a writer and realized that was another way to keep my memories alive. Words are powerful – it’s how this world was formed. Words become our reality. Before there was the written word, there was the spoken word. Histories and family traditions were handed down orally, passed from generation to generation. It’s how our Bible was created – it was spoken and handed down well before it ever became a written account. It’s how Alex Haley was able to trace his Roots – an old African told stories of his homeland, his capture and subsequent enslavement and taught them to his children. And, it’s also how my own parents instilled in me the wisdom of their generation which I am now able to pass to my own children.
Of course, I’m having about as much success with that as my parents had with me, LOL! It’s hit and miss at times, but I have hope that the seed I have sown will eventually take root in them as it inevitably did with me. My parents set the example in that they never stopped trying to reach me, never stopped talking to me and never stopped trying to impart that wisdom to me. No matter how stubbornly I rejected their teachings, they kept at it. So much so, that their words are still with me to this day. This is their legacy to me. It’s how they live on in me. It’s how they are immortalized. For as long as I live, they will live on.
“Longevity has its place.” Dr. Martin Luther King
When I was a young girl, I had a science teacher that told our class that our bodies were created to live forever. Our cells constantly regenerate. In theory, they should continue to regenerate cells of the same caliber, like for like, forever. But at some point, for no apparent reason, the cells create older versions of themselves, beginning the aging process. Some cells even get sick, regenerating in an abnormal fashion and turning against the body, resulting in diseases like cancer and leukemia. A healthy immune system will suddenly run amok and fight the body. Science has no explanation for why the normal regeneration process, that should keep us young and healthy forever, suddenly goes awry.
The answer lies in the beginning. We were created to live forever, initially. God created the heavens and the earth. For seven days he labored. The sun, moon and stars were formed; lakes, rivers and the creatures that dwell therein; birds that fly in the air and walk on the ground, vegetation to feed the animals that tread upon the earth. And then, there was the crowning pinnacle of His achievement – Man – created to have dominion over and to be a caretaker of the earth.
Then came the fall of mankind - Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and brought trouble upon us all. They believed the lies of the Serpent and God revoked the whole “eternal life” thing by forbidding them access to the Tree of Life. But the desire to live forever, to create something that survives the passage of time, still lives in each of us. It is inherent in our DNA. It’s why we have children. It’s in why we create businesses and dynasties. Or why we have statues erected in our names and plaques to memorialize our achievements. It’s also why you’ll see a message carved in a desk or on a tree: “Jane loves Jim” or “Max was here.” We want someone to know that we lived, that we “were here” and to not forget us. We want to live on.
Some folks, like the poor misguided young man who went on a shooting spree in Arizona, leaving several people dead and critically injuring Congresswoman Giffords, think that they have to kill someone or commit mass murder to make sure they are remembered. They are so afraid that their life will be meaningless, that they will leave this world and be completely forgotten that they carry out some insane plot to ensure their place in history and secure their fifteen minutes of fame. But there is a more positive way to leave your world better for your existence.
“… All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.” Acts 9:39
Dorcas (aka Tabitha) became sick and died. The believers were distraught; they mourned her passing and showed the Apostle Peter all the wonderful things she had created, with love, by her very own hands. These were tangible evidence of her good works. This was her ministry and her legacy. It was how she would best be remembered. How would you like to impact the world around you? What can you do to leave your imprint or make your mark in this world? How would you like to be remembered? What Dorcas did was relatively small but, in her world, it made her memorable. As Mother Theresa once said, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." We can create a legacy and live on through our actions.
Another FB friend recently decided that she would create her own personal ministry of encouragement to others. She just wanted to be that person to bless someone “on purpose.” I admired her effort because she was seeking to change her world and the people around her by bringing a positive spirit and influence into their lives. She spoke a wonderful blessing over me that touched me – for no other reason than just because she could. I think I will always remember that about her. And that is how we leave our mark – we leave the people around us better for having known us. It’s that simple.
I think what my parents did for me was done in a purposeful way, keeping in mind the kind of adult they wanted to produce and unleash upon the world. It was also done to prepare me to face some of life’s trials and tribulations. And it also happened to create a lasting legacy in me. So I write because I feel the same burden and responsibility to pass it on to the next generation and so that my own children will do the same. As my brother recently put it, “When you are an inspiration, you have an obligation!”
So ask yourself – what can I do? How do I want to be remembered? What can I do to create a lasting legacy? I think that whatever you do, as long as you do with a spirit of love, no matter how great or small an act, you won’t have a problem being remembered. We can live our lives “on purpose,” keeping in mind the kind of final result we want to achieve and how we want to be perceived. To paraphrase Queen “Who wants to live (on) forever?” I think we all do.
Be blessed,
Loria
