Our Life, Our Legacy - The Reverend Billy Graham

The Reverend Billy Graham said, “The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives.” It doesn’t matter what our religious or spiritual beliefs are, it is easy to admire the legacy that Billy Graham is creating for doing good in the world. I have always respected him as a minister of mankind, ministering to the minds and spirits of people who grow from his words, example and encouragement.

William Franklin Graham, Jr. was born in 1918 and began his ministry at a young age. He is retired now from making public sermons, but he created a legacy of being a spiritual leader for people of all different denominations and has prayed with every president from Harry S. Truman to Barak Obama. Billy Graham, known for his charisma, certainly had his critics and I think that is an important distinction to make in thinking of people and their legacy. It is not always the people that are the most widely accepted or popular who make the biggest difference; in fact it is often just the opposite. What the Reverend Graham did was take a stand on what he believed and defend it without wavering. A legacy such as the kind of legacy created by Billy Graham is often someone who makes us take notice, take a deeper look at ourselves, contemplate how we feel about matters, and even take a stand we might not have otherwise.

We Can Learn From The Legacies Others Have Left Behind

Throughout history there are women that followed their hearts and their passions. These women are an example of what we can accomplish in our own lives. Those that have gone before us can be our inspiration. We can learn from what they have accomplished and gain insight into what we are capable of accomplishing on our own.

There is no need in life to settle when it is possible to reach our full potential. Individuals like Erma Bombeck are examples of women that followed their passion and lived a life doing what they love. Their lives are their legacies.

Erma Bombeck said “When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest, they're not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They're upset because they've gone from supervisor of a child's life to a spectator. It's like being the vice president of the United States.”

Hope Floats

“Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will!” - Hope Floats -1998

I recently heard a speech in which the speaker was saying that sometimes we just need to “let it go.” It was intended to remind people that they need to not get caught up in petty grievances and let the hard feelings go. I took it a little differently, probably because I didn’t feel like I was holding on to any kind of grudges or feelings of being wronged. Instead I took it that when we have things happen to us that are beyond our control, we need to feel what we feel and then move on.
It can be scary to start new and let go of something that is familiar, even if that something is a negative feeling. If we are used to harboring those feelings, then they are what feel normal and right. On the other hand, we do find it sad when a good thing comes to an end. Hope can pull us to begin something new and helps us better handling the end of something good. With hope, ever ending becomes a promising new beginning.