Legacy Multiplies
I attended my maternal grandfather’s funeral yesterday. It was a great service and it meant a lot to spend the day with so many in my extended family. He was the third grandparent we’ve lost in the past 40 months.
Afterward, I decided to make a surprise visit to my 94-year-old paternal grandma at her assisted living home. I was the one who was about to be surprised, though. I knocked on the door, but no answer. So I worked my way around to the main entrance and found the main gathering space. I saw my grandma in the distance, and as I approached her, I realized I had just accidentally stumbled into a birthday party. My grandma told me I couldn’t leave, so I just took a seat and participated in the party. The two birthday kids were a 98-year-old man and a 101-year-old woman. Punch was enjoyed, gifts were given, stories were shared, and we ended with cake and ice cream. They even asked me to lead them in the singing of Happy Birthday. It was a real honor to be part of such a fun celebration.
** Fun Fact: 101 years ago was the first time a radio was installed in the White House…..and 98 years ago was the first time a presidential inauguration was broadcast over the radio.
I learned a lot about the two individuals being celebrated. I even had a chance to meet them before our time was done. Something stood out to me as I learned about the woman. She and her husband did really well for themselves. They never had kids, and instead used their time and money on worldwide travel and building various collections. I’m sure I’m grossly simplifying it, but that story stuck with me. Decades later, they were no longer able to travel, their collections and other possessions were sold off, and she was living in this facility with little to no family.
I think about my grandpa who we just celebrated yesterday. I’m not sure what his and Grandma’s specific finances looked like, but my sense is they had a very middle-class life. They lived relatively conservatively, my grandma stayed at home with their five kids, their travel was fairly simple, and they resided in the same house in a tiny 300-person town their entire adult lives. He left 5 kids, 13 grandkids, and 25 great-grandkids (with the youngest just entering the world a few weeks ago).
The idea of legacy is always on my mind, so you better believe these ideas were in hyperdrive yesterday as we said goodbye to my grandpa. Legacy doesn’t die. Legacy doesn’t just vanish from the planet when your time expires. Legacy lingers. Legacy is what remains long after you’re gone. Legacy isn’t what you take from the world, but rather what you give to it. It’s not what you want from something, but rather what you want for someone. My grandpa didn’t change the world, but he changed someone’s world. Many someones’ world. 5 kids, 13 grandkids, 25 great-grandkids (and counting), and soon the next generation. Will some of those people change the world? Maybe….maybe not. But I can promise you that each will change someone’s world. Legacy multiples.