What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

I noticed a tombstone once that read “Worked at CBS News.” I thought that was so sad. Is that the greatest thing there was to say about that person? Is that really the final thing to note on their tombstone? The best thing to say? Not they were kind? A good mother/father/sister/brother/son/daughter…. Nothing?

In the last weeks of my Father’s life he said, “Life is about relationships.” And he was so good at it. He wasn’t always, but he learned during his life about his own failings and he worked at improving. He became the person I want to be. He inspired others. He had an attitude of gratitude and believed that every day was a gift. He made people smile and saw to it that if you were having a bad day he would make it better. If you asked him how he was doing, he would always say, “Super duper!”

My father became known everywhere he went because of his positive, kind, attitude and generous spirit. His legacy is in the quality of his character that spread to every life he touched.

If my legacy could be even a splinter of what my father exemplified, I would be thankful.