4 of 100 – Leave a Meaningful Legacy

My oldest daughter started a new job recently. It was a super next career step for her. She's got good friends and develops great relationships. She's turning out alright.

This past weekend, she attended an Emmaus retreat. A friend of hers went too. It's a program my wife and I have both attended. It's a great way to reflect on your life, your relationship with God and where you are going. I found it exciting that a friend of hers thought it would be good to attend as well.

When I look at what has formed me into the person I've become, I have to point at my upbringing. I was blessed to have parents and even grandparents that instilled in me the importance of prayer. They modeled Christian values for me and the importance of having a relationship with God. For them it wasn't a theoretical exercise. It was practical to make us better people that showed love actively to those around us.

Here's a simple example. My grandma, Lala as we called her, was at a store buying something and the clerk gave her too much change. My brother, cousin and I saw her count the change and pointed it out to her. She kept the clerk from shorting herself with a mistake that would cost her. I remember Lala telling us as we drove home about the importance of being honest. She could have kept the change and made out, but that's NOT right.

Both my grandma and that store are gone now, but that lesson is still with me 40+ years later.

I have a legacy that will follow me. It can be a legacy that makes me proud or one that is embarrassing and shameful. I am in my control of the impact I have on my future. It can be a very positive influence on those around me today and well into the future.

Note to self: Leave a meaningful legacy.