Very soon it will 2008 here in Maggie Valley, NC. I am looking forward to a new year, as I do every year. But this year I am starting a little different. Instead of making a resolution to lose weight, eat more veggies, or keep in touch with old friends better, I am going to take some advice from a friend on the Five in a Boards that I frequent. Jackie suggested we each choose a word for 2008. My word is legacy. I am going to focus on the legacy I am leaving to my daughters. I have been thinking about this for a while now, ever since the precious Ruth Graham passed away and I heard the speeches her children gave at her memorial. Oh, how they adored their mother. She taught them so much about motherly love and grace. I have been thinking what people, particularly my daughters, will say when I die. I know it may sounds morbid, but I am not trying to be morbid. Of course, I don't want to die right now, but I am certainly not afraid of dying. I am afraid of not leaving my loved ones with the absolute certainty that I love Jesus and them. That people are more important than things. That I am who I am because God chose to sacrifice his son for me. That I am nothing without Jesus. And I want them to know that my life has meaning because God has been so good to me and given me so many people to love. That is what I want my legacy to be. And I want them to know a few more things.
I want to be like Jesus in everything I do. I want to love the unlovable. I want to take up my cross every day and honor God in my every word and action. I want people to see me and know that I love Jesus. I want there never to be a doubt as to who I serve.
I want my husband to know how much he means to me. I want him to be left every day with the knowledge that I recognize and appreciate every hour he puts in at work, every bath he gives the girls, every burger he grills. I want him to know that after all these years, his smile and his touch still warm my heart. I want him to never doubt he is the love of my life.
I want my daughters to know they are my heart. I want them to know they are more important than my cell phone, my computer, and whatever book I am reading. I want to read to them and laugh with them every day. I want them to know I love playing with them. I want them to know that all I ever dreamed about when I was a child was being a mother. That they have made my dream come true.
I want my parents and my brothers and 2 sisters-in-law to know they are so very important to me. That when I spend time with them, they bring me such joy. I also want the members of my family who don't always bring me joy, to know that I love them. I want to know that I love them and that God made us all different for a reason. I want to appreciate the differences.
I want my best girlfriends to know that I am thankful for them. They have been there for me through good and bad, and I never want them to doubt my gratefulness for the part they play in my life.
I want the patients I take care of to know that I get so much joy from being their nurse. I want them to never doubt I truly care about them and their baby.
I want to treat every stranger that I encounter as a beloved child of a King. Even if they don't know it, God loves them. I can help them know how important they are.
It sounds like a cliche, but the truth is, we never know if our next breath will be at the foot of God. I want to leave a legacy that brings glory to God. I want the people I love to know how much. I want no regrets. That may sounds like too much, but I have never done things the easy way, so why start now?!?! Like my favorite song "Legacy" by Nicole C Nordeman says "I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me? A child of mercy and grace, who blessed Your name, unapologetically. I want to leave a legacy."
