10_18_2021

Honoring Our Legacies

                This month’s theme at my Unitarian Universalist Parish in Needham, MA is “Legacy.” Members of the Parish are encouraged to think about the theme as they conduct their monthly activities. I am reminded that “Legacy” has two sides to think about:  What have we been given as part of our legacy, and what do we hope to leave behind as our legacy?

                I like starting with thinking about what were the legacies that I have received? Just to make sure I was referencing an expanded definition of the concept, I researched how the term is broadly defined and found this definition: 

                Legacy, by definition, is a legal term that identifies the material goods that we pass on

                to our heirs: money, property, assets. A broader interpretation encompasses much more:

                values, traditions, stories, lessons learned, all the intangibles from the lives we have lived.

                When we consider our legacy, let us think not just about death and distribution of property,

                but about life and the choices we make.”

                Here are prompts to help us explore the legacies that have helped shape our lives. We can perceive our legacies as positive, negative, and even having no impact on our lives.

• Class
• Region
• Religion
• Gender
• Physical Health
• Intellectual Gifts
• Artistic Talents
• Families’ relationship to money, education, work ethic, etc.
• Adult encouragement to grow and expand
• Curiosity
• Challenges we faced at an early age
• Ethnicity.

I offer questions to help us think about what we have been given as part of our legacy. I’ve filled in my responses to each question.

• Do you have a favorite legacy that you received, one that you feel has been influential in how your life path has unfolded? It may be helpful to follow the thread of that legacy through phases of your life.

Retrospectively, there were adults in my early life that valued learning. Their messages of approval were not bolded in bright, flashing neon lights. Instead, periodically there were laconically expressed words or recognitions of praise. Occasionally, I would hear my mother mention to other adults that I had made the high honor role in high school. Growing up, the children in my family had daily chores that were to be completed, but once they were completed, you might not be called upon for extra duties if you were seen doing something that involved learning, like reading a book.

Reading offered me a world of adventure as a young adult through my teenage years. College assignments became my focus until I completed my doctorate. Once I completed graduate school, I dived back into reading as one of my favorite forms of leisure activities.

• If you were to create and celebrate a legacy day for something of value that has been passed on to you, what would that be?

I would most definitely want to create a day that acknowledges the gift to learn and grow that is available to us throughout life. I discovered that we have designated a day in September to celebrate learning online opportunities. I would designate a day between Christmas and New Year’s Day as Learning Day and invite those celebrating it to share with someone else what they learned in the last year that they would like to pass onto someone else. As part of celebrating the day, people would be invited to make note of something new that they would like to learn in the coming year. What an enjoyable way to begin a new year!

• When did you become conscious of the legacies that have been passed onto you? Do you know where the origins of your chosen legacy first appeared in your family’s history?

I don’t know exactly where this gift first showed up in my family’s history. My maternal grandmother was a noteworthy influence in my life. Born in 1890, she exhibited an adventurous side well above her peers. After raising four children on her own, she moved to Chicago on her own, rented an apartment, and got a job working at Avon, a company that was well known for its women’s products. I loved visiting her, and I know I admired her hutzpah for going out and making her way on her own. She was curious and learned by doing. A remarkable woman.

• Are there examples of both a positive and a not-so-positive legacy in your life? How did you become aware of these forces in your life, and how have you put them to work for you?

It took me well into my adult years to begin to recognize patterns of my behavior. Growing up in a family with limited financial resources bestowed upon me the ability to work hard and to find ways to sustain myself when the going gets tough. Such fortitude has been a great gift in my life. But I’ve learned I have to pay attention to recognize when my body and soul are sending me messages that I am pushing too hard, and it’s time to relax.

I find it helpful to pause occasionally and remind myself of the gifts or legacies that I have been given. A greater awareness of my good fortune gives me the opportunity to express gratitude to those who came before me and helped me learn to use the  gifts that they were passing onto me.

Enjoy pausing in your own lives to think about some of your legacies!

“We honor the memory of those who have come before us,
kindling flames of wisdom in dark times,
willing to challenge orthodoxy even at great personal risk,
giving us a legacy of freedom and a love of truth,
A legacy that warms our hearts and lights our paths.

Paul Sprecher