Flipping through the local newspaper, I happened upon the Obituaries.  Though I’ve never been one to seek out the obituary section, this one jumped out at me because the picture of the 80-year-old, white-bearded man who had died looked so much like Santa Clause.  The megawatt smile on his face proclaimed his joyous spirit.

He was described as a generous personality who was heavily invested in the Community.  After retiring from a lengthy career as a police officer, he started a food pantry, naming it “People Helping People,” which is still operational to this day.  He was also named “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” in the town where he lived.  I couldn’t help but feel that I had missed out because I had never even met this man.  How many other wonderful people, I wondered, would I completely miss knowing simply because I never met them…?

Then, perhaps a bit morbidly, I started thinking about what might be written in my obituary.  Off the top, I couldn’t think of any noteworthy accomplishments that my survivors might want to expound on.  A sobering thought indeed!

What would I like to leave as a legacy, I asked myself?  What do I want my children and grandchildren to remember about me?  What kind of influence do I hope to have had on them? 

Posed this way, I knew immediately what I want my legacy to be. I want them to know the freedom and joy of being authentically themselves.  I want them all to not only feel accepted, but to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are loved purely and completely exactly as they are…to feel at home in their own skin and their own hearts.  I want them to carry that love forever, always growing in their desire to spread it to everyone they encounter and passing it down to their offspring.  Love is the greatest power on earth and I know if they spend their lives pursuing the perfection of that Love, it will ensure their fulfillment.  Life is not always easy but it is made not just more tolerable but more meaningful by focusing on the power of real LOVE applied to every life situation.  To have future generations live a better life because I have dared to live and love authentically is probably not a noteworthy accomplishment that will find its way in my obituary but I believe it is a noble goal nonetheless. If I have instilled Love and Authenticity in them by the time I die, I will consider myself a very blessed woman indeed, no matter what is written in my obituary… 

~SuZanne
InSearchOfAuthenticity.com
© 2023 Zanne