Legacy of a Mom

My mom stayed active in organizations, groups and causes. She stood against the wrongs and injustices big and small. When she died, it was not the causes or the accomplishments that people remembered, it was her heart.

“Your mom welcomed me into this town.”

“You mom never treated me like a stranger.”

“Joy always opened her home.”

That legacy of kindness should be remembered, and it should be one that I push towards every chance that I get.

I sat down the day after she died, after a full day of hearing about her heart, and wrote the obituary that I wanted for the paper. It focused on the very words that were shared over and over to me. The paper wanted to focus on her parents, her jobs, even her high school but I wanted to reflect on her heart.

How will you be remembered?

Each day that I live plants the seed of a legacy for my children to follow and for the world to remember when I am gone. I look at my walk right now and know that what I am living and doing is not what I want to leave. There is more to me than words on paper – the job that seems to currently suck out all of my time and energy. I have to find a way to change my current strides so that I reflect my own heart.

Changing a Legacy

– Each moment needs to be lived. The television shows and the computer screen will not build the memories that will plant a legacy.

– Stories need to be shared. Writing down words for others to read will not give my children the connection to their heritage that they need (and deserve).

– My heart should be revealed in everything I do, every word I say and every action I take. That requires that I continue to build up my heart with prayer and study so that I can pass on a little joy with each moment of my day.

Start growing your own legacy today. Imagine how you want others to remember you and then take the steps to build those memories.

P.S. My mom was Joy and I ask that in memory of her and in honor of her legacy that you find a way to pass on a little joy today.