Things I have learned - Those little pieces we leave

Today’s Wisdom: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” –Virgil

By Bill D. Ward

Most of our readers are finding themselves in the late half of their lives. We have run the good race, done most of our great accomplishments, and made our most impact on those around us. We are now slowing down, cruising to the finish.

We still have our roles, and we still are busy. But for many of us, the big stuff is back in that 70-year chunk of time we have already lived, not in the 15 or so year chunk of time we now enjoy.

So, what does it mean for the people who still surround us when we finally call it a life.

My father has been gone for many years. We had good times together when I was young. I wish we still enjoyed those times. I can’t bring dad back, but dad, without ever realizing it, left me little pieces of himself, pieces that make him still real to me.

I find him everywhere. I see him in the face of my son and in the man I see in the mirror every day. I see him in the collection of tools in my basement, many of which I inherited after he died. I see him in my tackle box, where many of his old lures live. I see him serving his church driving around on his lawn mower, every time I start up the mower at my church, where I now mow.

I see him in the things that I now value in life, family, the lives of my kids, and the places I choose to volunteer. Every one of those little pieces of my dad is a positive moment for me. I wish we all could say that, but I know how the world works. Some of us can’t.

One of the things I have learned is that, although we can’t be here forever, our impact can be. We leave little pieces of ourselves behind. The best part is that we get to choose the power in those little pieces. We choose it by the lives we lived and how we treated the people around us. My dad chose wisely. I hope you do too. I’m just sayin’.