Money. Fame. Volunteer Work. Character. Career. History. Friendship. Family. Fancy Cars. Faith. A Big House. A Dream Job. Serving Others. Caring. Fostering Others.
What words have meaning to you and your legacy? Do they intertwine? Is one word or phrase more important than the others? Does it matter to you? What makes you happy and satisfied? What makes you think, "I have done enough?" What makes you think, "I could do more?"
Growing up, I want to say that these words and phrases all intertwined for me because I really never knew the difference. I never knew we didn't have as much money as our neighbors. I never knew the difference between a Mercedes and a Volkswagen. My family and I always volunteered Thanksgiving morning, during the summer and throughout the school year. As I got older, I began to realize that there actually was a difference. Looking back, my parents were helping me to build character in spite of what we had and didn't have as far as material things.
Billy Graham once said, "The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith." Raised in a family where character and faith were more important than any piece of clothing I owned, the type of house or car we had or the amount of money we had in the bank, this quote could have literally been written by my parents. Growing up in a world and house full of kindness was more important that the car sitting in our driveway.
There are so many different types of legacies - friendship, financial, family, career to name a few. All of these have value, meanings and all of them are definitely are intertwined with having character, good or bad. You can be financially set for life but if you don't have a strong sense of character, that money can leave you feeling lonely. I truly believe that success in life is what you give back to others. My earliest memory of receiving money on my birthday was when I was about five years old from my grandparents. My dad sat me down and went over what I would be doing with the $50 I received - 50% in savings, 10% to the church, 10% to my choice of charity and 30% I was allowed to spend however I wanted. At five years old, I was ok with that as $15 was a lot of money. As I got older, I resisted only being allowed a small percentage to spend what I wanted because seeing what I actually wasn't putting into my own pocket was hard and disappointing, at the time. Now, at 17 years old, I do appreciate the lessons learned and realize how fortunate I am to have not only a savings account and money to spend how I want, but fortunate enough to give to my choice of those in need and to my church. Not understanding this at the time but having a grasp on this now, I appreciate my parents allowing and giving me the opportunity to leave behind a legacy of character, of giving, of caring, of service to others.
As an Eagle Scout, I have been able to build on this character by giving back in so many ways and to so many different organizations such as Camp I Am Special, a camp for children and adults with developmental and intellectual differences. I have spend over 300 hours volunteering at Camp I Am Special and the greatest gift this camp has given me is the gift of appreciation. The gift that everyone matters, everyone has a voice. Whether you have autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome - your voice matters and is often louder than any voice. It is my job, our job, to listen.
In closing and to sum up my thoughts on legacy, "Only a life lived for others is worth living," as stated by Albert Einstein.
Legacy to me means leaving your footprints so deep in the sand that it can never be washed away; something that was so great, it cannot be forgotten. Leaving a legacy means leaving the world with a permanent mark, nothing and no one can scrape it out. Some legacies are so important that they define what will happen for generations. Leaving a legacy does not entirely entail having assets and large wealth but how one uses their resources for the betterment of others.
There are different types of legacy. There is legacy in monetary and property terms that is pecuniary legacy; this involves the leaving of a particular amount of money for a purpose. Then there is the residuary legacy in which a portion of one's estate is set aside after any specific bequest has been made to retain its value. Legacy can be gifts in form of properties, shares which could be sold and the proceeds can be used for other things. Under this there is the general, specific and demonstrative legacy. There is the legacy in terms of life, where one does something for the benefit of others. It can serve as a life mission or purpose. It is the summary of who we are and how we would be remembered for after death.
Leaving a legacy behind is remarkable. I definitely want people to look back and think about good and great things whenever I come to mind. I mainly want to fight for single mothers especially teenage ones. In Africa, people are not really open to the idea of having a child outside marriage or with a non-existent father. There is this notion that the child would be spoilt and would lack something major that others with a complete family would have. Some would even base the child's future on the circumstance of the mother and automatically denote that child as wayward, not caring to know the background story. People are quick to judge single mothers, so I want to create a safe haven for them, assist them in any way, whether it is to go to school, learn a trade or start a business and assure them that their present destination does not determine their future location. I would train them physically, emotionally, mentally and financially to make sure the next step they take, they will be stable.
I want to be remembered as the woman who put smiles on people's faces wherever she went. I want to make life easier and more convenient for people one way or the other no matter how little. I am working towards getting as much resources as possible so that I will be comfortable enough to extend my comfort to others. I want to be remembered as someone that did it all successfully, that is, to be an achieved career woman and a deeply involved parent. I want to leave this world with many people having different stories to tell about me and wanting to write books on how I impacted their lives and changed generations.
Following the steps of Abraham Lincoln who enforced and signed the laws that abolished slavery and had schools named after him, Martin Luther King Jr., who was part of the forces to promote desegregation and fight for equal rights and had a museum full of his works, I want what I would do to stay and people to recreate me and my works in different forms.
