Choir Notes

A Meaningful, Lasting Legacy

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4379

Has anyone ever given you a gift and said, “This reminded me of you”? Did it make you stop and wonder what traits or qualities stand out to others when they think about you? Consciously or not, we spend a lifetime crafting our reputation. Of course, we can’t really control what people think of us, and it’s neither useful nor healthy to worry too much about our reputation. But it’s also true that a life well lived can have a powerful influence for good on those around us. We’ve all been uplifted and inspired by the loving sacrifices, anonymous deeds, and generous gestures of people who have touched our lives. Are we having a similar influence in the lives we touch?

Hearing a heartfelt eulogy at a funeral can inspire us with the desire to leave a meaningful, lasting legacy for our loved ones. But when the funeral is over, we return to the daily routine, and that routine has a way of distracting our attention from the things that really matter. Priorities sometimes get muddled, and we find ourselves putting self-interest ahead of family or career goals ahead of helping someone in need. Yet none of us wants it said at our funeral that we sure knew how to strike a hard bargain or climb the ladder of success—or even keep the kitchen windows clean. Somehow those things pale in comparison with acts of kindness, the nurturing of a soul, the outstretched hand to the less fortunate.

What do you want to be known for? Love? Hard work? Patriotism? Faith? It’s never too late to start developing such traits. It’s simply a matter of the small choices we make every day. Each choice demonstrates to others—and, more importantly, to ourselves—what we consider important. Then, perhaps one day, your loved ones will give a gift that reminds them of you—the gift of a meaningful, lasting legacy that they pass down to the generations that follow.