I never real knew my mother’s father. We met on two occasions; I remember him as a tall, kind man who towered over everyone around him. It helped that he was six foot six; however, as I get older I am beginning to understand that this was not the whole story. On the other hand, I lived for almost nine months with my father’s father. As we got both got older my love/hate relationship grew to where I began to understand and love who he was and what he represented. Towards the end of his life I found myself wishing I could walk along with him on the journey for a long, long time.
Two day’s ago a friend quizzed me about my past. It was interesting in that we have known each other for years, and as far as I can remember this is the first time he has ever asked about my background. For many years, decades in fact, I have never linked who and what my grandfathers were with who I am today. They were footnotes in my life’s history, but not much more. As I talked and walked through the years of my life, I began to see the threads and linkages between these two gentlemen and the values that I possess today.
Their legacy is life changing. The men were not rich by the any material measure, yet they possessed something that people search most of their lives for; peace, a sense of purpose, and hope. In hindsight, they passed on to me something that is worth more than anything else I could possibly imagine.
Our legacy today is what it is, but there is still room and time in the lives of people around us, young and old. Doing nothing about this is one alternative. God offers you and me the chance to do something much, much more. Today, I take a step towards that end. What are you going to do?
“A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren; ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people.” (Proverbs 13.22)
