Our pastor at St. Andrew UMC, Mark Feldmeir, talked about a theme earlier this fall that I can't shake. He contrasted "resume" achievements with "legacy" achievements. Resume-builders include the usual academic, athletic, and career-related triumphs, while legacy includes charity, generosity, kindness, and altruism. Focus on the resume in the first half of life, and focus on the legacy in the second half, or so it seems.
Rev. Feldmeir asked the congregation to think about how we would like to be discussed at our funeral. Will speakers focus on on our job title, income level, long-distant academic successes? Or will they talk about the money and time we gave to others, our random acts of kindness, our loyalty and our dedication to friends and family? For me, the latter rings true, and not just because I'm mostly a SAHM with little income and no job title to speak of.
The idea of legacy makes me feel better about life decisions that have taken me off the career ladder, moved me into the 'volunteer' category in different areas. I'm also motivated to do more - do better - with the time I have left. Like our oak and maple trees that were planted five years ago and waited all this time to leaf out in brilliant fall colors, our fruits and our offerings can get better over time.
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