Living and Leaving a Legacy

Brothers and Sisters whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, fix your thoughts on these things and model your conduct on what I have told you and shown you, and peace that passes all understanding will be with you.

If ever there was a profound piece that speaks firmly about leaving and living a legacy in the good book – this is it. Right there – we are called to rise and be what we have been fearfully and wonderfully created to be.

And so I ask you – yes you…… What is your legacy? Is it pure, is it just and is it honourable?

What do you want to be known for when you are gone? What legacy do you want to leave behind?

I remember my mother with such deep admiration. She taught me so many things. She was a formidable formidable woman. If I could be just half the woman my mother was – then I will have fulfilled mission on earth. What does one say? From her I learnt generosity. The kind act of giving. My mother gave and gave and gave. She gave to her friends, she gave to her enemies, she gave of her time of herself and of her resources. Whatever she had she gave. She gave to the extent that when she was gone she was empty. She had given life her all! And the more she gave the more she beautiful she grew. Beautiful on the inside and beautiful on the outside. Yes – she was one beautiful woman.

And so I ask again – What is your legacy? Is it gracious, is it excellent and is it worthy of praise?

Think about someone you deeply admire as a role model. Think about all the great and wonderful people that we hold in high esteem – Wangari Maathai, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Barrack Obama, The Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, Sr. Irene Nyaatha, Mahatma Gandhi and others of their caliber. Why do you admire them? What is it about them that has the whole world talking about them? What inspires people to write about them that their lives remain in posterity? That is their legacy. The legacy they either live or leave.
The pertinent question persists – what is your legacy? Is it lovely? Is it true? Does it call forth peace?

I marveled my mother’s tenacity. She’d been diagnosed with breast cancer and given 6 months to live. I remember her saying – “Breast cancer? What is that to put me down? I will show breast cancer who is boss!” And she proceeded to do just that. And when the cancer had spread from her breast to her lungs and they could sustain her no more, she ran around with a portable oxygen tank – busy going about her business as usual, unfazed. Completely unfazed. And here we are – breathing on our own requiring no assistance. In fact STOP for a moment right now and take a deep breath in and exhale out. Yes indeed we’re breathing unassisted. What excuse do we have not to take our fully breathing selves and go out into the world and fully live our God given purpose? I and would like to hereby pause and announce to you that my mother – Mama Nessy ( yes that beautiful mama in the picture up there) far outlived her 6 months and lived for 6 more years. Amazing isn’t it?

And now onto the chorus yes? What is your legacy? What is your legacy? WHAT IS YOUR LEGACY?

And finally when my mother died I didn’t cry. Not a tear fell from my eyes. I celebrated so much. I celebrated her and her life and the transformation she brought to this this world. But most importantly I celebrated being part of her life. And people around me asked – “Carol why are you so happy? Aren’t you sad that your mother has died?” And I said right back to them – “How can I be sad? I am the luckiest woman that ever lived.”
And it is only now that I cry. I cry not because I am sad, I never was and never will be. I cry because I am so so so so lucky. You can never choose your parents. And it is in wonder that I marvel at how lucky I am to have been born of this woman? What did I possibly do to the most high to be granted this blessing? How lucky was I? I still can’t believe it. I could have had any other woman as my mother, but for some reason it was ordained that I should spend my life with this wonderful wonderful woman – I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this blessing. I don’t know……..

And now I ask you – are you the kind of person that people in this world will cry out of gratitude to have you in their lives and wonder – how lucky can I be to have you as my sister? How lucky can I be to have you as my mother…. How lucky can I be have to have you in my team. How lucky? Are there people out there who cannot believe their luck as a result of your presence in their lives?

What is your legacy? What is your legacy? WHAT I ASK AGAIN IS YOUR LEGACY?

Brothers and Sisters whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, fix your thoughts on these things and model your conduct on what I have told you and shown you, and peace that passes all understanding will be with you.

And I say unto you – go out there into the world and live – really live and leave, really leave a deep and meaningful legacy…