The cool air wrapped around me like a cloak as I stepped foot in the Vincent house. Bumps on my arms rose to accommodate the drop in temperature. It was hard to distinguish the cold chills from the heady excitement I felt as my senses started to soak up my surrounding environment. The historic Martha’s Vineyard home, built in 1672, whispered the word legacy straight to my heart.
The history in this house was palpable. Although it was built with the blood, sweat, heart and resources of men long dead, here it stood 300 years later, a silent witness to my spiritual journey. Far from being a discarded relic from days gone by, this house hummed and thrived with the energy of all the beautiful souls who had the distinct privilege to call it home. “Legacy,” it whispered again.
I can’t imagine that the men who built this house knew that I would come to know myself on a deeper level within the serenity and beauty of its four walls in the year 2015, and yet I can. The craftsmanship and detail within the house tells the story about why it was built. It was built to bear witness to struggle, growth, love and belonging. It was built to withstand and nourish. It was built to be passed on to future generations. It was built for purposes the builders and owners could never envision and yet they showed up to create it.
Legacy, to me, is what we leave behind when our bodies no longer grace the earth’s surface. If we wait until we are six feet deep in Mother Nature’s earthy embrace to ponder our legacy, we are too late. Legacy is something we create each day with how we live. Like the historic Vincent house, we show up to build our legacy with the intention to pass something meaningful of ourselves onto future generations. And yet, we must recognize how futile it is to fully understand the impact of our gift.
My spiritual journey on Martha’s Vineyard didn’t leave my heart full of answers, but it did open a space for me to ask some profound and important questions. I hope you will join me in pondering these two:
- What kind of legacy do I want to leave?
- What actions am I taking today to consciously create my legacy?
- Am I leading others in a way that empowers them to thrive in my absence?
- Am I creating everlasting feelings of love within those who know me?
- Am I creating a home that future generations will want to visit?
- Am I sharing my wealth in a way that benefits future generations?
- Are my earthly possessions heirlooms, something others will cherish once I am gone?
- Am I leaving a legacy that my child will embrace with open arms, or reject with disdain?
- Am I leaving my community better than I found it?