Helen on Legacies

My Grandma Lillian (ain't she sweet?) turned 100 the day before Thanksgiving and we rented a room, catered a meal and had a party for her. “Small,” she'd said, “Let’s keep it small.”

She had two kids, my mom and my Uncle Gerald. I think I mentioned in another post a while back that Grandpa Wilbur (don't you love these old names?) died four years ago. He was 97 and they'd just celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary.

Anyway, back to my uncle. He had four girls, who all stayed around the Chicago area, and my mom had four girls and four boys, who are now spread out all over the US of A. My brothers and sisters came from Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Pennsylvania and we gathered in for the party near Chicago. There's a bunch of us below.

Many of us have gotten married and had kids of our own and now our kids are having kids. (Not mine, thank you very much. Not yet, at least!) The next picture below is of the great, and great-great grandkids. After that picture was taken, my grandma spread her hands and said, “Am I responsible for all this?”

We laughed, but in truth, she is.

My dad came from a family of ten. I have 42 cousins on his side, my grandparents had 50 grandkids. (Yes, I was raised Catholic, and, no, Grandma Hildegard never remembered my name!) The majority of us have married and had several kids of our own. I can’t even begin to count, and, I know, I’m starting to sound like the Old Testament. So and so begat so and so and so on and so on.

My point is … I never used to look back very much. On the trail I’ve left behind me. Of course there was a time when I didn’t have a lot of “back” to look at, but now I’ve got a bunch. So I’ve given some thought as to whether or not this world is a better place for my having spent time here.

This isn’t just about my kids. They’re great, and if having helped them become healthy and happy adults is all I end up accomplishing in life, then I'd be content. But what about friends, co-workers, fellow writers, acquaintances, the check-out clerk at the grocery store? Are they better off for having met me? Have I given just a little bit back?

With three grandparents that lived into their 90’s and one into his 80’s, chances are I’ve got some time left to make a difference. Then again, I could get hit by a truck tomorrow. So what should I do with the rest of my life? What do I want people to say about me? What is my legacy?

She was a good mother.
She tried her best at being a good wife.
She wrote wonderful books.She was a good friend.
She made a mean batch of chili.
She still had teeth when she died.
Heck, I don't know.

Have you ever thought about what you want the world to say about you?

Oh, and here's Grandma Lillian's secret to a long life. "I guess you just got to keep moving."
Amen!