Sweet Reminders For a Life Lived Well

All of life deserves to be remembered.

It’s in the remembering that we find meaning and purpose for where we’ve been and where we’re going. Where perspective and courage become companions for the days ahead. Where hope and grace grow through the promise of a better tomorrow.

And it’s in this promise that we find space for our legacy to thrive, even during the difficult and untimely challenges that threaten to upset our best laid plans for the future. If we can see the promise, then we can continue to move forward. We can dig deep and press through the hardships. We can cling to the hope-filled confirmations along the way and rest assured that our labor will not be in vain.

When I wrote my legacy mission statement over 20 years ago, it wasn’t something I woke up one day and decided to do on a whim. It was born from a place of remembering and a desire to break a generational cycle. Although I did not create the cycle, I knew I also did not want to repeat it.

Of course the wasn’t easy, and I didn’t find success overnight – I found it one day at a time.

Our legacy isn’t going to be created overnight, and it will always be tempting to devalue our choice and give in to discouragement and or failure to remain within the plan.

Our legacy for tomorrow is built on how we live today. Share on X

I found memorial markers to be a key component to staying the course. They are the timely reminders that help me continue to speak value into my choices. Just as our strengths and successes help us determine the direction of our life plan, memorial markers remind us of the importance of keeping our compass pointed in the right direction.

Memorial markers are like the icing on a cake.

They hold together the sometimes fragile layers of our life plan, giving them support and strength.

They fill in the gaps and shortfalls, diminishing our flaws, mistakes and less-thans.

They serve as visual representations of something meaningful, precious and attainable.

They are sweet reminders of the labor and hard work beneath the beauty.

They are sprinkles of joy that hold promise for another day.

I’m a huge advocate of memorial markers, and I have many that make up my collection for different parts of my legacy. There are letters and cards from my children which keep me centered in my strengths as a mother and help me offer myself grace. My collection of heart-shaped rocks each represent a place and time that I was challenged to grow deeper in my faith to better equip me for my legacy. A bookmark from a college friend so many years ago still stirs my desire to live a life of faith and integrity.

My children have also been given memorial markers to encourage them toward specific life goals. Every Christmas they each receive one ornament which symbolizes a significant blessing for the year so they are challenged to remember and develop a legacy of gratitude. My boys were each given a compass and my daughter a purity ring as a visual reminder of their committment to a legacy of purity. Blessing books and individual scrapbooks help them remember a childhood filled with joy and love so they will be motivated to a legacy of faithful parenting.

Memorial markers don’t have to be special to anyone else. They simply need to serve as visual reminders of where we’ve been and where we’re going. When we find ourselves wrestling with discouragement, they offer us the gift of perspective. When we doubt ourselves, they offer lasting encouragement. And when we are tempted to give up, they turn our heart back toward remembering.

Because it’s in the remembering that we find the tenacity to keep fighting for what our heart deeply desires and for the one thing we want to be remembered most for in our life.

Something real, something measurable and something lasting.

In case you missed the previous Legacy Series Posts:

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Before you leave…

Each week, it’s my pleasure to select one writer from the link-up to showcase on my blog for the entire week. As you know, I’m all about fresh goodness! And with so many amazing bloggers joining this community, I want to make sure Fresh Market Friday honors all who share the many areas they practice living out of a place of intention and passion.

I’m excited to announce this week’s Featured Fresh Find is Laura Rath !

Laura encourages us though whatever it is we’re waiting on in our life. She challenges us to accept the waiting and find purpose and perspective through it. And she offers us 3 simple things to do which can help us stay grounded and hopeful during a time that so often leaves us discouraged and wondering if we’ll ever get to where we want to be.

Won’t you please visit Laura’s and share some Fresh Market Friday encouragement…because we all need a little encouragement!

If you’re new to Fresh Market Friday, you can find more about the community here.

Sharing our #blogs on #FreshMarketFriday #linkup! Today is Marking Our Legacy for Success Share on X

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