At some point, most of us have to decide how we want to be remembered, or what we want to be remembered for.
That can mean some folks put their name on a building at a college or a hospital. Others fund a scholarship or endow a chair or leave money to a cause that was important to them.
But what about those of us who don’t have that kind of money? What can we do to influence how we are remembered?
For example, Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson and the Wheeler family built businesses that are still going strong and are vital parts of the community. They didn’t start out with a lot of money, just a lot of grit and determination, stuff that is in the very air of Oklahoma.
Others, like the Roman Nose family created a place that evokes the peace and culture they longed for and embraced. Family members are still working to deepen cultural understanding, memorialize those who stood fast in a difficult time in our collective history and fought for a country that sought to eliminate their voices. They emulate forgiveness on a level few of us can understand. And they are teaching it to more people.
Some of us work in the community to build it up, like Lions and Kiwanis. Some are in public service like law enforcement or they step into the arena of elected office. The good ones there don’t do it for the money or the power, they do it because they can help move the town or county in the direction it should go.
Still others create their legacy through leading a church and guiding people, young, old or in between, toward salvation and living a life that espouses what the Good Book teaches.
Maybe the biggest contribution toward the future is how we raise our kids. If we really work at it, bust our backs every day to show them and tell them and guide them, if we don’t give up and keep at it and get very, very lucky, we make good adults out of our toddlers.
Then they grow into the various leaders and builders and good quiet members of our communities as business owners, political leaders, public servants, pastors or teachers, and most important, moms and dads.
As the new school year starts, ask yourself what kind of legacy you are creating and remember, no matter what their age, you can continue to mold your children by input and example. It’s the greatest job there is.