Dear Circle of Hope,

We often hear of people talking about leaving a legacy…but today I want to flip that saying and ask us to consider creating a legacy of leaving. 

In our current social climate with rapidly rising costs of living, a housing crisis and a community that struggles to find hope in the future, we often wonder what we can do to help the situation. Combined with this comes a wondering about how on earth the next generations will survive and thrive when things appear so bleak.

Of course, we can feel overwhelmed and frozen when it comes to having any influence on bringing change for the common good. How can we as individuals make a difference in situations that are systemic and appear well beyond our means to influence? It is from a place of recognition like this, that opportunity and impetus for action begins to stir. 

The idea of a legacy is particularly insightful at these times. A legacy is something left behind by a predecessor in the hope that those following will flourish. Often it is thought of in a financial or property sense. However, legacy can be much deeper than this. I recently heard legacy described as an act of sowing flower seeds in a garden that someone else will see bloom. That description made me pause. Yes, this is truly what a legacy is all about. It is about planting seeds in our days that the next generations will see grow. We are being called to create a legacy of leaving. The word ‘leave’ can also be a verb describing the action of a plant as it puts out new leaves. Surely this is a wonderful way of describing legacy. It is a leaving, a growing, based upon the planting of those that have gone before. Creating a legacy of leaving involves planting seeds in our own days that the next generation will see growing and leaving in their days.

This leads us to consider what legacy we can create in our days so that it will ‘leave’ in the future. It is easy to land on financial ideas and this can be a key component leading us to consider giving through donations and bequests. But I would love to encourage us to consider our actions. Let us consider compassion, loving kindness and acts of service as ways of sowing seeds in our days that future generations can witness, experience and that will lead to flourishing. Maybe we can also share hope through our words and actions, reminding ourselves and the following generations that hope exists and can often be found by taking action.

As you reflect on your life this week, may you consider creating a legacy of leaving where those who follow in your footsteps in your community can live and flourish and thrive.

Thank you for being part of our Circle of Hope.

Grace and peace, 

Phil