Legacy Unplanned
How do you want people to remember you? This question is often raised in interviews with celebrities and other public figures. But leaving a legacy is not reserved for the famous— unsung heroes leave legacies too. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the legacy my mother left behind. She wasn't known around the world, but to the people who knew and loved her—even to those who watched her life from a distance—she was a great woman whose influence lives on today. Was my mother ever formally interviewed by anyone? Perhaps not. Did she go through life consciously thinking about the legacy she was leaving? I seriously doubt it. Yet, she most certainly left a lasting impact. That impact is evident in the lessons I teach my daughter and my students. It is felt when my siblings, my father, her friends, and her grandchildren model their lives after how she lived hers, or carry forward what they were taught by those of us who had the pleasure of knowing her. It is felt in the way her kindness is...