You're Never To Old

Last week all my children and grandchildren and other family members got together to celebrate my father-in-law's 90th birthday! It was a surprise so we all hid in the house waiting for dad to arrive. You should have seen the surprise on his face when he walked in and heard the shouts of "Happy Birthday" and "We love you, Papa.” (Papa is the name we affectionately call him). What struck me was not only the look of surprise on his face, but the joy of being appreciated and loved by so many! You see, it doesn’t matter how old we get we want to know that we are cared for, loved, and appreciated! It was awesome to see my children and my grandchildren, one by one go up to Papa and give him a hug and tell him how much they loved him, and to wish him a Happy Birthday. The truth is, we don’t need to wait for a birthday to let others know we love them! We can and should do it often to those people in our lives that we care for.

Does anybody in your life need to know they are loved and appreciated? Why don’t you send them an e-mail, a letter; or better yet pick up the phone! Everyone loves to hear “I love you!”

The Legacy

A couple of weeks ago some of my kids and their families were over for lunch one Sunday after church. After we had eaten we were all sitting around talking when my three year old grandson Jordan came up to me and wanted me to play with him. Never turning down an offer like that  - we played for a little while and then I asked him a question, “What’s your last name?” He looked at me kind of funny and then he said in a somewhat loud voice “McBroom!” I said, "That’s right! " And then I asked him, “What’s your full name?" And just as emphatically he said, "Jordan David McBroom!"  I told him it was awesome that he knew his name and then I asked him if he knew what my last name was. He answered, “Papa Papa!” (I had to hold in my laugh!) So I told him that my last name was McBroom too, and that my full name was David McBroom, just like his. And without hesitation he said, “Papa David McBroom!” (We both had a great laugh with that one!)

I turned to my kids and I said, "Wow, I sure have a lot of children named after me! My own son, David Jeffery, Conner David, Jordan David, and most recently Josiah David." And then someone casually said, “That’s your legacy!” When they said that, I didn't say anything but I lodged that thought in my mind.

Later, however, l began to reflect on the statement, “That’s your legacy”. Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of having so many people in my immediate family that I have the opportunity to influence….for good or otherwise. And it got me to thinking, “What kind of legacy do I want to leave? What do I want to be remembered for? And more importantly, how do I leave a lasting, permanent legacy?” As I thought more about it I came to the conclusion that  . . . I have to be a man of character in all areas of my life if I truly want to leave a lasting legacy. As an individual person, a partner, a parent, a papa, and pastor! Wow! What a great opportunity I have to model and to pass on to my children and grandchildren what a man of character looks like; so they too, can pass on their legacy from generation to generation. I’m so glad I had the chance to have that conversation with my three year old grandson… for out of the mouth of babes!

So what do you want to be remembered for? What legacy do you want to leave?  Maybe it’s time to have a conversation….?