Leaving a legacy

             I had a teacher in school advised us to take care of funeral arrangements before it’s too late. He said there is nothing worse than seeing loved ones scrambling to get a funeral done when their grieving. I must admit that many of us rolled our eyes at the thought of dealing with death before it’s time. I bet many of us think death is a rumor. It’s something we hear about but rarely come into contact with it. I have had a cat and dog die. I have only bin to two family funerals in 50 years. I can’t remember the last time death visited my life. Yesterday I got a knock at the door.

            My dad texted me yesterday morning that Grandma had died. Wow, that came quick. She was only in the hospital two months. It was like she moved, but that was not the truth. I wonder if many of us avoid the obvious because it’s obvious. I was reminded of my School teacher when I found out Grandma had all the arrangements covered. Gee, why did she do that; how did she do that. I haven’t done that. One thing I know is that more often than not, death comes far too quickly.

            I had a grandfather that took 11 years to die of cancer. That was a slow and painful process. It was painful for him as it was for us. Death is racist in my mind. It has a beef with all humans. How depressing to reflect on death. Ya, I know I suck. I am not feeling well today. I lost someone I cared for. The next family meal will be a silent one for most of us. Who will dare sit in grandma’s chair?

            The cool part of a funeral is reflection. We really get to dissect the life that was. I find that there are a lot of happy times. People begin to remember the good times and forget the bad ones. I love the legacy. My grandparents did leave a piece of themselves behind for me to pass on. I care like they did. I work hard like they did. I honor family like they did. Helping family and being involved at family functions is important to me like it was for my grandparents before me.

            What does God have to say about this timely topic (didn’t you say that last time). In the book called Ecclesiastics, in the Bible, Solomon says there is a time for everything including death. Luke 9:62 says “Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." When death comes we have a choice: remember the past or move forward. I believe my family, that has died, left me tools to use in the future. Sure, I can reminisce about days gone by, but only for a moment. Dwelling on the past is death. God wants us to move forward pressing on to the Goal. It’s all about using and leaving a legacy.

            These days we are concerned far too much with the here and now: what are our sexual preferences, who do we support, and how do we stop global warming. These are all good things to understand, but they are not what makes society move forward. Our grandparents did the unthinkable, by today’s standards: they taught us how to survive. My grandfather fought in a war. My grandmother taught me to love cooking. Another grandma showed me how to bring family together. Each one gave me a piece of who I have become. There is an “I” in family, but that is one letter in a larger word. The people in our past knew the value of sacrifice for the many in spite of the few. We have that bass acwards these days.

            Will being gay save you? Will saving a seal feed you? There is a story of Linda McCartney needing cancer drugs to survive. She was also an advocate against testing drugs on animals. The very drugs she needed came from places she hated. By the way, she died. Individual causes are noble but they don’t leave a legacy of survival. They live in the moment where you are. Like on a plane, they say put the mask on yourself first before you save others.

People need to build a strong family, community, and country before they look inward. Our country is leaning farther than the Titanic. Our legacy is “What” these days: social rights? As we fight for our own personal freedom; the freedom and security of our country is going down the tubes. That is not the way our previous generations did business. Much of the time, what we fight for personally, gets lost when we’re fighting for others. I lost a valuable piece of my training yesterday. It was my last grandparent. Now it’s up to my Dad and me to carry on the legacy they left behind for us to carry. My Grandma taught me that tossing out the past for the present is truly how a legacy gets left behind.

faith comes alive