Legacy

Your week has started off well, I hope. I want to give you a heads up that this post may be, at first glance, not very upbeat, but my intention is that it inspires and uplifts. That being said...

I found out yesterday afternoon that a friend from a nearby town passed away. She was a wonderful woman--a family member of a former hospice patient of mine. Long after my job-related interaction with the family had ended, she and I chose to continue meeting for lunch. We shared many precious hours that way.

Her life ended suddenly in a tragic car accident outside of her city. The church sanctuary barely held the hundreds of people for her funeral service today--practically standing room only. In the midst of the tragedy and tears, it was comforting to remember the kind of person she was, and is now-- in heaven.

Her legacy is the kind of woman I aspire to be every day: kind, strong, warm, loving, Christ-centered, and real...she was honest about her struggles. The multitude present today represented only a part of the scores of people she touched through consistent, meaningful living and loving.

My mind and heart can't escape this question: So what will my legacy be? And what about yours? Heaven forbid, if we left tomorrow, what would others remember about you and me? And through Christ's strength, am I living that way now? Sure, we all fail and have days we want to do over. And again, I'm not trying to be morbid or depressing.

Those who have attended even a handful of funerals have heard this before, and no doubt we'll hear it again. It's worthwhile to me, though, to ponder all of this and renew my daily commitment to living on purpose. How about you?