Let’s All Leave Something Behind
I don’t want to seem morose, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how the world will be when I’m not here anymore. I am sure the world will go on without even taking notice of my demise – but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. What will I leave behind? Will I leave something behind that would not have been here if I had not been born?
I see so many people saving money, accumulating wealth, saving for retirement, or leaving money to their children and grandchildren. But is that all our lives are meant to be? Is that all we really want to leave behind?
Money was here before I was born, and it will certainly be long after I am gone. So leaving money behind is not leaving something of myself behind. Not that I have any money to leave behind.
I want to leave something behind that wasn’t here on the day I was born; something that wouldn’t have been here if I had not been born.
I certainly have not lived a perfect life and I’m sure some will be glad to see me dead. That is how it is with many of us, I’m afraid. But one thing I know for sure: I’m leaving many things behind that were not here on the day I was born.
Anyone who, like me, has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren… leaves behind something that would have never been here had they not been born. So if you have children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, you are leaving something behind.
But that’s not enough. While your children are part of you and came from you, they cannot let others inside your mind or your heart so they can know you even though you’ve passed away.
I have children and grandchildren and I love them all very much. I will leave them behind when I die. So the world has been changed because I was here.
Billions of people change the world by having children, but very few change the world by leaving a part of themselves behind.
I’ve written hundreds of songs, poems, essays, and short stories. I’ve saved a lot of them and they’ll survive me. Someday, after I’ve died, my kids will listen to and read some of the things I’ve written and by doing so they will look inside my head and my heart. And maybe reading what I’ve written or listening to the songs I wrote will remind them of me and the good things about me, or the silly things about me, or things they never knew about how I thought or what I felt in my heart. Maybe they will see some of the things I’ve written as my successes and other things I’ve behind as my failures. What I hope, more than anything, is that what I’ve left behind reminds them to leave something of themselves behind that was not here before they were.
To me, we all must set a goal of changing the world if only a little bit. If we don’t, it will be as if we were never born. Even if we leave children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren behind. We all need to leave a piece of ourselves behind so our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, and those who survive us can know us.
It doesn’t take much to leave something of yourself behind. You don’t need to be a great writer or artist. You don’t need to be handy with your hands. You don’t even need to be creative.
You can write a letter and keep it hidden so someday someone will find it and know you better. Just write down your thoughts on a piece of paper – keep it safe and try to make sure no one sees it until you want them to see it. You don’t have to be creative to leave something of yourself behind and change the world if only just a tiny bit.
If you’re good with your hands, make a quilt, or make some pottery, or build something. Anything you leave behind changes the world just a bit/
But if all you leave behind is your money you’ve not changed the world at all.
Most of us do not think our existence will change the world at all. Most of us who are not rich and powerful don’t think the world will even know we ever existed. We think we don’t have the power to change the world at all – but we do.
Oh yes, we do. And more than you know.
If you leave just one thing behind that you created, then you’ve changed the world. Maybe only a little bit, but you’ve changed it by adding something to it. And that makes a difference.
You can do a lot of other things to leave your mark on the world – to leave something behind that changes the world. Just think of all the things you could do to make the world a little different, a little better than it was before you were born.
You can start a tradition of giving, or you can paint, or you can write a book, an essay, a short story, or a poem. You can write a song, make pottery, or build something. Draw a picture, write a journal, or just take time out to write a special letter about yourself and how you feel about things. Something from your heart that will survive you — things you accomplished, things you thought, places you visited, your favorite memories. Share your dreams, both the ones that you made come true and the ones that you didn’t.
If we all leave something behind, we all can change the world. What a shame it would be to leave the world without leaving just a little bit of ourselves behind.
TOTALLY agree.
There are SO many ways that we can all do something to make the world a better place.
For so many valid reasons many cannot run for the local Council or School Board, but there are many opportunities to help make other people’s lives happier and richer.
Visit hospitals or retirement homes and just talk to those without family or friends. Often you will gain as much pleasure as the person you are helping. Such visits should NOT be about pity, but be positive and looking to the possible futures. Attitude has much to do with their healing or surviving boredom.
There are community groups that organise contact with lonely or disturbed children – normally they will heed an older “stranger” when they will not listen to parents (and it is not always the kid’s fault).
ALL grandparents should write a story of their lives in the “early days” – the world they lived in will seem like something out of Charles Dickens to many of today’s youth, and they will not only be fascinated by it, but will understand and respect you all the more for it. YOU PASSED SCHOOL WITHOUT GOOGLE !!! Ordinary people had horses, rich people had cars – now ordinary people have cars and only the rich have horses !!
A lady friend and I make quilts. Give to Family. We love sharing with those who never learned to work magic with a needle and thread. Most of what I have done was be a caregiver to my husband and my parents. My husband suffered and died from cancer, My parents never had to spend one night in a nursing home. That was something they always worried about.
The husband was sick for a year and suffered so much. My dad was a bed patient for several years. He became a double amputee and had strokes. Much of the time he didn’t know who I was. My Mom became a cripple from osteoarthritis. She was in a wheelchair and then later a bed patient. She and my husband lived 7 years after my Dad had passed. Then in 2000, I lost Mom and in 2001, I lost my husband.
In those years of caregiving my husband and I adopted our daughter. She was a joy to all of us. In 2005 she gave me a beautiful granddaughter. Soon my daughter was not stable enough to care for the baby so I raised my beautiful granddaughter. She graduated high school last year. Now we are planning her wedding for mid-June.
My daughter passed away in 2019.
Over these years I was blessed many times with help from another Family member who helped with care when I
I needed a little rest or just had to have a little time to pull myself together. Sad to say we lost that family member in January of 2023.
I am 82 years old now. I have many wonderful memories along with some sad times. I learned long ago to always Pray, and keep a close walk with our Lord. He never fails to be there for us. I always like to tell people to seek help from the Lord when they are in trouble and never forget to Praise Him always,
I try to always take a moment to thank any military person or law enforcement and EMS personnel when I see them out and about. We all need encouragement along the way.
I hope I have made a difference in the lives of my Family and friends. Many people have shown me kindness and encouragement along my journey