I went to a memorial service today and I’ve been thinking a lot about the legacy we leave behind when we die.
When Glendora died, I knew she was where she wanted to be. She talked a lot about how ready she was to see Jesus, she was just waiting for him to be ready for her. Still, I selfishly wished for one last hug with her.
Later that week, I saw her daughters at a church function. Her daughter Jean was talking to my mom, while I was barely holding it together, but then her other daughter Judy came up and hugged me. I know Judy a lot better because she lives in the area; I see her almost every week. She also looks a lot more like her mom. When she gave me the longest hug we have ever shared, it was like Glendora herself was giving me the one last hug I wanted. She was the most loving person I have ever met and that so greatly reflects in her daughters.
Some of us may leave behind great pieces of literature or music, or invent a flux capacitor or a new form of energy. These things may be what we have striven for all our lives, things we have spent months or years or decades perfecting. While these types of physical things that are left behind after we are gone may reach many people and possibly even change lives, they may not be the most important legacy we leave.
Glendora’s legacy was the love she showed to every single person she met. She spent the last seven years filling a need that other people didn’t necessary think about: making sure people had clean underwear. She saw that everyone deserves clean underwear and wanted to restore that dignity to them. Our church is possibly the only church that collects clean underwear to give to those who need it, but we never would have done that had it not been for her. Her legacy is the love and compassion she instilled in those she left behind. She may not have changed the world, but she changed the hearts of those around her. We underestimate the impact we have on those around us, but I believe that the love we show them is the best gift we have to leave on this Earth. That is the thing I will spend months, years, and decades perfecting.
In the words of Glendora, “Jesus loves you and so do I.”
