The Gift of Legacy

Today is definitely a new day.

After a rough go the past few days, I've been so grateful for the support of many friends who understand the trials and tribulations of raising a young family...and who step up with really helpful and thoughtful tips to lighten the load.

Usually around this time of year, I make a conscious effort to walk as much as I possibly can to take in all of the final moments of autumn.  The reds, yellows, oranges, greens of the trees...the crunching of the leaves...the smell in the air and the presence of God's beauty literally puts me in awe.

So, this morning, I bundled the girls up and we made our usual trek to the park, around the golf course, up some hills, over a bridge and back to our home.  While Claire was gnawing a graham cracker, Kate and I gathered leaves for yet another collage and talked about how trees are made.  We tried to imagine when they started as seedlings and how old they are today.  We also talked about how many years that trees live and what they need to grow. 

I wondered if years from this moment if Kate might come back and walk amidst some of the same old trees with her little ones.  It calls to mind for me, the power of legacy and the beauty of leaving one's footprint on this earth.  We're all leaving a mark, something behind, a place holder, a difference.

There's never been a time more special for me than now, in my thirties, realizing that we have inherited a place that will someday trade hands with another.  Someone else will look among the trees, enjoy the beauty of the stream under the bridge, sweat up the steep hills and be grateful for what they have been given.

I wonder about my footprint and my passing of the baton.  How am I doing my part and sharing in the gift of legacy to those I love the most?