Legacy is for life and living

Did you know that:

The best place to plant a young tree: is in a clearing in an old-growth forest and not an open field. Why Tyra, I’m glad you asked.

Ecologists tell us that a young tree grows better when it’s planted in an area with older trees. Now, this is the good part. The reason, it seems, is that the roots of the young tree are able to follow the pathways created by former trees and implant themselves more deeply. Over time, the roots of many trees may actually graft themselves to one another, creating an intricate, interdependent foundation hidden under the ground. In this way, stronger trees share resources with weaker ones so that the whole forest becomes healthier.

That’s legacy: an interconnection across time, with a need for those who have come before us and a responsibility to those who come after us.

A legacy may take many forms – children, grandchildren, a business, an idea, a book, a community, a home, some piece of ourselves. How many of us are living our lives so that our legacy reflects all that we truly hold most near and dear? How many of us are living with integrity and courage?

The world isn’t connected by molecules. It’s connected by stories, traditions, memories, hopes, and dreams. We are connected by the legacies passed down from those who came before us and the legacies we pass down to those who come after us.

For children, legacy means learning from the past. It separates the timeless from the transient. Children have a feeling of security and continuity that comes from knowing that there are adults who care about them. They come to realize that we all face choices in our lives, often difficult ones, which helps them prepare for whatever may come. Learning about the whole of life as well as its end also helps them establish their values and priorities. And instead of directly telling children all of this, we need to tell them our life stories and our choices and how we made our decisions. That’s the way you get children to learn from you and about you.

For adults, legacy means hoping for the future. It means developing and passing on a timeless part of yourself. We feel valued and useful no matter how old we get. We come to terms with our accomplishments and our disappointments. We create personal meaning and purpose. We realize that as we do our bit in the grand scheme of things, our tiny gestures multiply in significance. We understand that the world we leave behind is the world our children and children’s children inherit.

For both young and old, the power of legacy enables us to live fully in the present. You understand that you are part of a larger community, a community that must remember its history to build its future.”[1]

Legacy is very much about life and living. 

Don’t miss mother and daughter share a common legacy across cultures and miles on YouTube at Frankly Speaking with Tyra G. It’s a gift!.

[1] http://www.legacyproject.org/guides/whatislegacy.html

    Until next time, remember,

• You are not alone.

• You are not your circumstances.

• You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.