A Lasting Legacy

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My mother-in-law's graveside service was yesterday afternoon and as I reflected on it afterwards, it seemed to perfectly suit who she was.

Her entire life centered around her family and each of the children, their spouses, and then any of the grandchildren who were comfortable doing so, got up and said a few words about how they impacted their life.

Her youngest son and my son played songs they wrote. We sang one of her favorite hymns. It was a sweet time.

The words used to describe her were joy-filled, patient, and kind. She brought art, music, books and beauty into her family's life. She loved them equally and unconditionally. She believed they could do anything. She instilled confidence in them. She loved and was loved, and that was expressed beautiful yesterday.

Her family's love for her is her legacy.










My nephew, who couldn't be there, wrote something and I thought it was a beautiful tribute and a fitting way to end this blog post as it expresses very eloquently what we all feel.

There's an old proverb I heard sometime back that has stuck with me since. It says that when an elder passes, a library burns to the ground. Now while this does admittedly sound somewhat depressing, I believe there is a sweetness to it. 

We all live our lives differently, experience and learn different things. As we grow, we become collections of stories and tales of a life lived by us, and that makes each of us unique in a way that adds beauty to the relationships we make. We get to learn new things with each relationship we discover and nourish. 

And with that, we each get to share our library and take a step into others. We get to inherit some of the many stories and lessons from others, and they become part of us forever. 

I am truly grateful and honored to have inherited some of Grandma's library. She was a constant part of my life as I grew, and as such, she became an important part of me. No matter the day, no matter the weather, no matter the circumstances, anytime I saw her, she was always joyous and full of life. She always had something to share, an idea to spread, a feeling to express. And even if I was down, she would always bring me back up. 

I love you forever grandma, and thank you for giving me part of your library.

Written by Mason 

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