A Legacy Worth Sharing

My life goes on in endless song, Above earth's lamentations...
Through all the tumult and the strife I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing?

~ Robert W Lowry

Last weekend I had the privilege of singing with a choir at the memorial service for a well-known and respected member of the community. A privilege because, even though I did not know this woman except as a familiar face from fall choir rehearsals, in that hour my life was indirectly touched by her.

Perhaps it is true that this moment held different meaning for me because I learned of this woman's 5-year battle with cancer around the same time I learned of my own Mom's diagnosis. Still, I was moved by the stories of her life as shared by her sister, her daughters, co-workers and friends. Stories of the impact this woman had made in the world: through her profession in the health-care field and initiating change in policies and procedures; through social outreach and community volunteer opportunities fit into an already busy schedule; through parenting her biological children and opening her heart and home to “adopted daughters” in need of support.

Testimonies of the life she led; of the lives she touched. A tribute to the legacy she leaves in her wake.

It seems sometimes as though there are fewer and fewer stories of self-less living in today's world. Of individuals who go far beyond the norm in terms of reaching out, supporting, and easing the journey of others on life's path. And so to come across such a story; such a life; such an individual is note-worthy.

There is a part of me that wishes I had had the opportunity to spend time with and to know this woman. And yet after the service, I feel as though I did!

The final song shared by the choir was We Rise Again. This song in particular moved me to tears, as the words “we rise again in the faces of our children...” speaks so clearly about the influence and legacy created and left behind by anyone who participates in family and community even a fraction as much as this woman did. She will be greatly missed, that is true. But – she will continue to rise again in the faces of her children. She will continue to indirectly impact the world and inspire people the way I was impacted and inspired by her: through a legacy that reaches much further in the lives and stories of her many loved ones!