1 June 2012 ~ HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS IS STILL DEAD

Now there’s a headline catcher for you.  I wish I could take credit for it but, alas, not.  This headline was on a sign outside a church that I drove past over twenty years ago; and I still make a point of driving past it to this day.  I can’t remember all of their signs, but this one hasn’t left me for a brace of decades and likely never will.  At the time, in my early thirties, I didn’t fully appreciate the gravity of this message.  But now, in my mid-fifties, and a parent to my own three adult children, it has started to make great sense to me. 

With the hope and anticipation that I may enjoy the honour and milestone of grandparenthood someday, it appears to be a good time for me to be reminded that all the wealth and inventory of material possessions that we, as a society, strive for, cannot be taken with you.  In fact, regardless of all material possessions and amassed wealth, the last suit I will wear has no requirement for pockets.  Like it or not, there will still be steaks in the freezer and a half-used tube of toothpaste in the bathroom.  You bow off this mortal coil with exactly what you came in with; nothing.  So the question that bodes is this; what do you plan to leave behind?  The wealth can be spent and the possessions can be sold.  This means that all of the ‘trophies’ count for naught.

It is my hope, like most people, that I will leave behind a legacy of sorts.  Something that can’t be corroded with time, or hocked off for some mullah.  The right legacy should not be high-maintenance and should have a timeless shelf-life when handled correctly.  But how does one leave behind a legacy that clearly states that yes, this man, or woman, did indeed, walk on this earth; and walked well.  Walked with kindness and walked with love.  With wisdom and with honour.  Courage and valour.  Love and empathy.  With compassion and humility.

In this digital era that we live in, it is clear that our life on earth can be captured through the medium of high definition video footage shot in glorious Technicolor.  But is that enough?

My initial thoughts are that the only way to leave such a legacy will require that I live in a manner, such, that I exude and personify all that I believe to be right and good and true.  I can’t help but wonder if it really is that simple.  My best answer at this time is, perhaps.

Now that we have entered June 2012, and I await my fifty-fourth birthday later in the month, I’m going to take this month to reflect on what has been and ponder a wee bit on what will be.  There is no doubt that the church’s headline is true; and, for that reason, I will take the time to go within to make sure that I am on-track, so that when I leave, I will not only be remembered, but I will not be forgotten.