Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What Will YOU Leave?

I went to a funeral yesterday. A funeral for a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She was probably one of the most decent and genuinely GOOD people I had ever met. She cared about people and it showed.

One of the things that was read at her funeral were excerpts from an autobiography that she had written as part of her admission into a ministry program at her church. As I listened to her own words describing her I was just amazed.

How many of us are comfortable enough in our own skin to write about ourselves?

Really....how many? Not many, and for those that would, would they REALLY do themselves justice?

She wrote honestly, and she wasn't boastful, but she also didn't downplay her accomplishments in life. And it was simply beautiful.

We heard an excerpt yesterday, but her 5 children have the document in its entirety.

...and what a gift THAT is...

It made me think. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an autobiography on my own Mom? That is something that I would honestly treasure. But, I know it is something that I can never have. Instead, perhaps it is something that I can GIVE. I can give my own kids that treasure. I can explain who I am to them, and as the years go on I can add to it. I can add to the story as my life progresses on.

I hope there are lots of chapters in the story of my life and I hope that at the end of my life my kids treasure those words as much as I know my friend treasures the tale of her own mother.

So think about it...what will YOU leave? We're all going to depart this world, and many people will leave many material possessions. But long after you're gone, what meaningful trail of your life is left behind? Is it in the art you created or the words you wrote? I know it seems silly to many to sit down and write about your own life, but give it a try.

Sit down and write about YOU. Tell people about what you've done and what you are like. Leave behind a meaningful account of your life, as you saw it.

Someone, someday will say "I'm so glad that we have this now".

Lori