Breathe “Legacy”

By Julie Charles

IT is truly amazing that although we humans try to live our lives as best as we know, very few of us seldom, if ever, give any thought to the legacy we will leave behind. Legacy is aptly defined as a gift left by will or anything handed down by a predecessor; however, for the purpose of this article, I will not be discussing material legacy. 

Yes, it is good to leave money and property for your heirs, but have you ever given any consideration to the kind of spiritual and emotional legacy you will leave for your descendants. How do you think your love ones will remember you? In reminiscing on your life, will the people who knew you remember the good times you had together or will they be happy to be free of you? The questions I pose here are very difficult ones and I don’t think that many of us, if any, are prepared to answer them without great pondering; and perhaps not even then.  This is because we are not conditioned to think of our lives in that manner, however, if we are going to be honest with ourselves please allow me to say that we all want to be remembered as good people. And we all want our lives to serve as a good example for others to follow and learn from.  I know that I do.  And if you are indeed true to yourself you will give a resounding “yes” as your answer too. 

How many of us have looked at past lives like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Dame Eugena Charles, Robert Bradshaw, just to name a few, and garnered strength, wisdom, and understanding from their exemplary lives? I know that we can all think of at least one person who we knew personally who has passed away and left us with memories and admiration for the way they lived their life. And if you are like me, from time to time you will find yourself trying very hard to mimic that person’s pattern of speech, dress and or walk. So, when you find yourself mimicking the characteristics of some family member or close friend who has passed away in your daily life, don’t be concerned…it is part of their legacy to you. This individual lived a life you admired and although they are gone they live on in your thoughts and deeds.

I have often heard the saying that a man cannot leave a better legacy to the world than a well-educated family. This saying became very real to me a few weeks ago when I was informed that my deceased grandmother was to receive an honour from her beloved church. I thought it strange at first because although I knew her to be a church-going, God-fearing woman, I was a little puzzled as to why the church would honour her.  Surprisingly, as the tributes to her came pouring in from all parts of the world, I realised what an amazing and phenomenal woman she was and the amount of lives she touched during her time here on earth.

I was completely blown away by her talents, her intelligence, her care-giving skills and her loving ways.  To me, she was just my granny.  I was unable to realise that she had left her family a wonderful legacy. And, although she was not college educated, she was quite a learned woman. Her writing skills were impeccable. She wrote plays. And she was a ravenous reader. She was always reading. She read to her husband, her children and her grandchildren. And her love of reading is part of her living legacy to her family and the many lives she touched.

I have always loved and admired my grandmother but after attending the service that honoured her, she has become one of my heroes. And I am proud that I have a few of her genes. Her enormous contributions to the people around her have made me think about my own legacy. Fifteen years have passed since she left us and her life is still a beacon of hope and an inspiration to others. How does someone manage something that amazing?  We can’t all leave a prestigious background or lots of money to visit our children, but we can leave them a legacy of love. This is interesting as we all hear people say when our love ones have passed that they live on in our memories and dreams. But do we ever stop to think that the love they felt for us is their legacy to us? That even though they have gone in body their love is still around us? What you leave behind will live on whether it is good or bad, therefore, it is important that one would venture to live a good life to ensure that the people who are left behind would be proud of one’s legacy.

Can we understand the great importance our existence and the people who will be affected by our decisions? It is up to us to recognise our purpose, fulfill that purpose and leave behind a legacy that our loved ones can be pleased with. We must understand that it is not by coincidence that we exist and we should therefore ensure that our legacy must be one that can be a learning tool to those who choose to look at it.

As for me, I want my legacy to be one of giving. If someone can learn that possessing a giving nature is not a curse but a gift, then I could die and be happy. I want to know that the gift of giving can be seen as a satisfying, unselfish tool to reach those who are in need. If I can accomplish that as my legacy then I will truly be at peace. What do you want your legacy to be? Are you brave enough to face it? Is it something you have thought about? Are you ready to think about it or embrace it? Only you can answer these questions. I maybe here a short while, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the day comes to take me away.  But, in whatever part you play, be remembered as a part of a legacy…of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It is that legacy that never dies.