A Role Model Lost on Earth Is an Angel Gained in Heaven (PB)

This past week, a very important man that attended my church for years passed away. His name was Fran McCoy and he would do any thing for anyone and always put his own issues on the back-burner when you needed help.  Fran was a great guy and will be greatly missed, but upon the loss of Fran, it got me thinking.  What does it really mean to leave a legacy?  I mean, Fran left one, didn't he?  I looked up the definition of legacy, and here is what it said:

anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor

 I thought that this was a really vague and boring definition.  It does not truly define a legacy.  A legacy is so much more than that.  I wanted a better definition.  I knew that a legacy was more than just a simple definition.  Something with a little more depth.  Something that will last forever, no matter how the earthly trends change.  So, to find the true definition of a legacy, I looked to Fran McCoy's life. 

Fran lived a good life.  He had owned a business and eventually retired from that.  He was always helping people.  If the church doors were open, Fran was there.  Everyone knew him, even if they only went to the Sawyer Church once.  So, now that Franny is gone, it, sort of, feels like there is a hole in our church.  Like something is missing.  Obviously, Fran was loved by many.  Everyone looked up to him and took his advice to heart.  Fran left a legacy that will forever live on. 

So, why, or how, did Fran leave this legacy.  First of all, he never had a negative word to say about anyone.  That is something that is not able to be said about very many people.  Fran was always smiling and always encouraging.  People remember people like that.  When someone is that kind and thoughtful towards you, you don't just forget that person.  That person lives on in your memories.

Another way that Fran left his legacy was by being content with what he had.  He never complained.  He lived a happy and simple life.  He was happy with who he was and because of that he was able to live an enriching and rewarding life. 

So, I think that is how you leave a legacy.  You are a positive person and are content with who you are and the life you are living.  After discovering these things, I decided that a legacy is not something that just happens, it is something that is made over time.  It is a little piece of you that lives on in the hearts of everyone you have touched over the years after you are gone.  Whether it is a memory someone has of you, or a piece of advice you once gave someone, it still means something and that is what a legacy is.

Thanks Fran, for the legacy you left.