What’s your legacy?

Earlier today I learned that a man I went to high school with passed away in a tragic accident. He was a firefighter, husband, father and friend to so many. The grief and outpouring from our community has been awesome to watch and it’s also made me think. None of us are guaranteed another day. We walk out our doors expecting to come back that night and see our families but in reality it doesn’t always happen. When we leave this world what will our legacy be?

Rhett and I were never more than passing acquaintances, but even then he was always kind. He had a smile on his face, he said hi to just about everybody and he was genuine. If I can say this about him and I’m just an acquaintance can you imagine the legacy that he left behind for the people who knew him best? It’s tragic and at the same time awe inspiring.  He touched the lives of so many people. Even the people that only met him for minute while doing his job as a fireman. We should all be so lucky to leave behind a legacy of duty, love, compassion, kindness, faith…. the list goes on.

When I leave this world I should be so lucky to have people say such things about me. I want my children to say that I showed them how to have faith in God and at the same time how to have fun baking cookies. That I showed kindness when it was easier to be cruel. I want them to look back and know that I loved them with every fiber of my being. That’s what I want to strive for in my time left on earth. To walk out my door with a purpose of leaving behind a legacy to be proud of. It may not be wealth and power that some in this world see as the only true legacy but it’ll matter long after money and power fade.

In Honor of Rhett Larsen