Live a Legacy

 What do you want to leave behind? We all know you can't take anything with you when you go. We know that not every one of us is going to become a famous figure talked about in the history classes of future generations as one of the greats. So what are we leaving behind? What is YOUR legacy? 

Oftentimes, when we are young, it can be hard to think anything we can do will have an impact on the world around us but millions of young people around the world are doing just that. They are changing the world. They are starting to form their legacy. 

Have you heard the story of Malala? At 17, she won the Nobel Peace Prize after being shot in 2012 and yet still fighting through terrible hardship to organize the Malala Fund to help Syrian refugee children and promote girls' education. At 7, Molly Wright spoke in a TED talk advocating for parents to play with their children and had already formed her Wildlife Hospital Foundation. Tavi Gevinson was disappointed in the way fashion magazines for teens portrayed girls so she started her own magazine "Rookie" at age 15.

Another 15-year-old, Allyson Ahlstrom wanted to share her love of designer fashion with girls in poor communities and thus began her "Threads for Teens" an organization that donates new designer clothing to girls that would otherwise never be able to afford them. She raises self-esteem and spirits wherever she goes. 

Every big sister who fights to provide her siblings with love and opportunities. You are leaving a legacy. Every teen employee who does their best to touch every customer's heart with kindness and love even when it's tough. You are forming a legacy. Every teacher, every person who creates a community of kindness through their action. They are leaving a legacy. It doesn't have to be big. It could be leaving little kind notes on sticky notes for people to find in bathrooms or windshields. It could be cleaning up after someone without being asked. Bringing coffee to a man/woman who is homeless. It's the little things you do that form your legacy.

I can still remember the first time I found that I was starting to leave my legacy. My brother went to a dance with the woman who is now his wife. He mentioned me by name to one of the people he met. She had never met me but knew me by reputation. The pride you feel when you know people know you who have never met you. People who know you as someone who is actively involved in her community and full of life. That is a wonderful feeling and one I have tried to cultivate more and more through the small moments I can make an impact on those people who have those brief moments with you. 

There are a lot of little things I try to do and I am far from perfect, but those little things mean a lot to the people who receive them. Saying good morning to those homeless I pass in the morning at church. Pausing to chat with the lady at the self-checkout and ask how her day has been. Smiling at the people you pass when walking. Do you know how rare it is for people to receive a smile? We don't look each other in the eye when shopping. We stare at our phones or the area in front of us, self-consciously avoiding acknowledging anyone else. That little smile can do so much!

Here's a song that motivates me. I hope it does the same for you. You may not have the world know your name but the halls of fame in Heaven and the people that matter will remember what you've done.

Now I challenge you in January, the first month of 2025. Find something this year that you will use to start forming your legacy. COuld be so
mething small or big, but GO LIVE YOUR LEGACY!

As always thank you for reading! Please comment with any ideas you have for your own legacy, ideas for posts, or anything else. I love to hear from you!