Hallmark Moments

This past Sunday, the message in church was about leaving a legacy for "our children". When I was very active in the reverse mortgage industry, that was a huge topic. Working with seniors who needed to use their home's equity in order to keep their homes, help them with medical bills, help their kids, make home improvements or what have you, was eye-opening to me. They need to accept the concept that leaving behind a home, while it's a great thought, is not the definition of a legacy.

Sunday was a bit of a difficult morning for me. It was what I call a "Hallmark Sunday". At the end of the service, they even brought all the children in from their classes and programs, and had them line up throughout the auditorium. Hundreds of kids. It was very cool, even dramatic...but also difficult for me. I have always longed to be a daddy and to continue the heritage which was passed on to me by my parents. My 44th birthday is now less than 4 months away. It seems increasingly likely that I will never have my own kids. Heck, I think the odds are against me to ever even get married. My friends who care about me and see good things in me like to encourage me that it will happen, but there are no guarantees.

I'm finding myself in a similar situation as the seniors I serve. Like them, maybe the legacy I leave behind will not be in the form or to the people I had hoped and planned. Even if I never have my own kids, I hope that I'll be able to leave behind something of value to the generations which follow me. But you can't leave behind something you do not have. There is the key. Character, integrity, maturity, compassion, spirituality...these are all qualities which are important to me. It's not material possessions.

The stock market and the economy can take away your wealth. So many have lost their homes. Many have lost their jobs. But no one and nothing can take away your character, integrity, maturity, compassion and spirituality.