Your legacy?

Today I attended a memorial service for a woman I never met. Katherine (Tat) is the 96-year-old mother of a dear friend of mine.

I often heard Mary talk about her mother, but I had never met her personally. After attending the service not only do I wish I had known Tat, I want to be LIKE Tat. These words describe her life: Tat's long life was defined by her warm and generous spirit which extended hospitality to all who knew her. She thanked God every day for her many blessings. Her deep faith was apparent in her love of family, friends, and all those whose lives crossed her path. She lived a life of grace and kindness to others.

Her children spoke about her. Her grandchildren spoke about her. They talked of her love of music, her love of humor, her love for her husband, her love for her children (eight of them!), her love for her Lord.

She left a legacy as a follower of Christ even though she didn't come to know the Lord until she was in her 60s. No one specifically said that she was a 'wise woman' but it was clear from the things shared about her life that she was a wise woman of the Lord.

I've been thinking a lot today about the legacy I will leave behind as a wife, friend, sister, follower of Christ. The choices and decisions I make today will determine my legacy. Do my actions say that I'm living a life of grace and kindness or that I have a warm and generous spirit?

So here's my question for you today: What is your legacy? What kind of legacy are your actions going to leave behind? May we all learn from this dear woman and be inspired by her legacy.