When I look around, I am surrounded by Legacy.
One of my favorite legacy treasures, is my Great-Grandma Brenneman's Bible with this note about faith and hope in her delicate handwriting.
We visited her every Sunday afternoon for my whole childhood. First, in her little house the color of ripened wheat, then in the nearby nursing home. I loved it when she read "Five Beds For Bitsy." Great-Grandma loved to play games like Skip-Bo and we would pass the cards around in a china bowl. She liked Skip-Bo and Yahtzee because they are kind games, which don't require people going after each other aggressively.
Great-Grandma would laugh and say, "You're full of hot mush." She had a metal 9x13 pan with a metal lid that slid. It was always a surprise what was inside. Maybe chocolate Wacky Cake. Maybe blonde brownies or peanut butter cookies with the tiny squares made with the back of a fork.
I know that her faith, gentleness, and wit are part of my heritage. Part of our Story is our past, and our story is part of our legacy.
Legacy from Jenna Kutcher and Lucia Pador
I was prompted to think about legacy while listening to Jenna Kutcher's Goaldigger Podcast episode with Lucia Pador. It was a fabulous discussion about story and it's role in life and business. I got a little weepy as Lucia talked about the legacy of her sculptor father as I missed my dad. Lucia also offered this great gift on using story. You can use it to jump start you telling your stories.
Because why should we tell our stories?
If we don't, what will our great-grandchildren receive from us? Our story can be told in tangible legacy: the books we write, the photos we take, the art we make, the business we grow. It may also be in the memories we create, the relationships we treasure, the family that we raise. In some way, we should use our story to pass down the wisdom of our experiences.
In thinking about legacy, I also want to look forward.
I hope I leave my four children a legacy of adventure, of abundance, of courage and steadfastness. I realized that as I thought of the titles I've given them based off the meanings of their names and what I hope they grow into. I'll share more about this in my next post.
If you are passionate about finding and telling your story, if you need encouragement with a latte and a story about a French saleswoman, sign up here to get them delivered straight to you.
