A legacy is not merely about the assets and possessions left in a will; it is varied and can have different meanings for different individuals. In the main, it relates to your life, encapsulating your values, virtues, life lessons and your journey.
Two apt legacy quotes are:
“It’s what we do, not what we have, that will create a lasting legacy”. And
“You make your mark by being true to yourself and letting that be your lasting legacy”.
Legacies encompass what has been passed down from ancestors and have a generational impact that shapes our attitudes and lives. Our great-grandparents endured unimaginable adversity in bondage. Their legacy serves as a testament to survival and immense fortitude.
The Windrush generation left their homeland and faced hostility as they forged a new life in Britain. Their legacy is one of courage, strength, resilience, and passing down family traditions. The parents of 50+ black women, who wish to strive and be as stalwart as they are.
Read: THE WINDRUSH GENERATION/ DESCENDANTS
As their successive generation and parents of millennial children and alpha grandchildren, it is your turn to pass on the baton and reflect on the personal legacy you leave behind, what it is and what it would look like.
You can lead by example as loving parents. Rest assured that this will have a profoundly empowering effect on your children, instilling resilience, purpose, and cultural pride, while highlighting your life story in a booklet format. Present your values, faith, philosophy and spirit as valuable lessons and teaching moments. Include a family tree by utilising sites like Ancestry.com, and add photographs from family holidays, adventures, and more.
It is key to write down the stories of great-grandparents and grandparents, along with their photographs. These will be invaluable for your grandchildren to see, understand and learn about their ancestry. The latter point brought to mind a conversation with friends about our ancestors and I was surprised to learn that my Indian friend’s father was originally of Dutch descent. Dating back six generations, he and his brother from the Netherlands migrated to India.
Personally, my mother’s legacy has had a profound and indelible impact on my life. It has shaped my own and I hope it will have a similar effect. The lessons I learned from her exemplify her quiet yet remarkable resilience, which I greatly admired, along with her love for my siblings and me, her empathy, exceptional organisational skills, sense of humour and the stories she shared about her life and family traditions.
What does leaving a legacy mean to you? Please share it with us in the Comments Section.
