Our memories serve as a living legacy to someone who dies before we do. "Living legacy" has a nice alliterative ring to it, but what does it really mean?
I used to think that people determined the legacy they left behind. Their character and acts in life shaped what people remembered, and thus determined their legacy among the living, i.e., their "living legacy." Once you died, that was it. Your legacy was set in stone.
But my thinking changed after the death of a loved one when friends offered me traditional words of comfort. To my surprise, one phrase that I'd heard all my life sounded completely different in my grief: "May his memory be a blessing."
"May" implies possibilities, both good and bad. With the introduction of uncertainty, suddenly I saw my role in shaping his legacy.
Whether the legacy of someone we love is a blessing depends on what we do with what he or she left behind! If we choose to remember only the good and to reflect similar goodness in our lives, then his legacy is a blessing. If we choose to remember his fortitude when we feel weak, or his humor when a situation begs for laughter, then his memory is a blessing.
This notion of shaping the legacies of those left behind carries responsibilities but also offers hope. Each time we work to make the memories of loved ones into blessings in our lives, we help make this world of ours a little better.
I love this post, Wendy. I am writing a biography about a woman who survived five types of cancer, and she was incredibly strong and an inspiration to so many. By telling her story, I can make her legacy live even longer... beyond the deaths of everyone who knew and loved her.
I often think about my friends and relatives who have passed away, in my prayers. I ask God to bring them every happiness they didn't have on Earth.
Posted by: Lisa Cunningham | September 01, 2009 at 05:56 PM