Legacy

I just lost a close friend recently to a snowboarding accident. It was sudden and tragic and many people were in shock when they got the news, including me. When I think about Phil, I think of him as being happy and alive and smiling, I don't think of him as being gone forever. I have been pondering this and have realized that this is because of the legacy that he left every person he had ever met during his 22 years of life on earth. Upon attending Phil's memorial service and listening to all the stories and  treasuring all the good times I had with him, the bottom line was clear: You could not think about Phil without smiling. He was a funny guy and lived to laugh, which was contagious. He also had hope in Jesus, which made him all the more joyful and pleasant to be around. That fact also reassures us all that he is Heaven cracking jokes with his Heavenly Father and we will see him again someday - when our time on earth is up. I have been thinking a lot about my own life through this and wondering what people would say about me if I suddenly passed. I would hope that they would say good things and smile when they thought about me. I would hope that they would know that I loved Jesus and people by the way I lived my life. That kind of legacy lives on and encourages the people survived by you to follow in your footsteps and continue loving and living life to the fullest. I encourage you to think about your own life. How are you living it? What do you think people are saying about you now and what would they say if you died tomorrow? I would hope good things. Live each day as if it were your last. Get your priorities straight. Tell those you love that you do. Apologize to those you've hurt. Go out of your way to help people in need. Spend time with loved ones. Do things that make you happy. Write- because your words will outlast you. Laugh. Really LIVE. How could people forget you if you did?

"I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all the who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one..."

"Legacy" - Nicole Nordeman