A few months ago, during the Holiday Season, I went to get postage stamps and bought a sheet of these of the Ringling Bros. Circus.  I have enjoyed looking at them and had them on the bulletin board above the desk.  Now that the Circus is permanently folding its tents, I have glad I still have them.  

I am not sure how long I will hold onto them, but I will use them eventually. One tends to keep things that give us a good feeling and helps us remember good times.   In college, I kept matchbook covers of places in the City of Chicago that I went to for dances.   It was something that eventually held little meaning to hold on to and other things took their place.

What do you hang onto?   Are they physical things like matchbook covers, photos, or other collections?   What will become of them?  Will you will them to your children, donate them to a museum, or will they be tossed out? 

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?   We aren’t all famous people, but we can leave a legacy of kindness or something others will benefit from our presence. Every now and then I go for a walk in a cemetery (usually during the Lenten season) and think of the contributions each of those beneath the headstones has made.  I find it rather humbling. I remember the first time I did that was as a teenager in North Judson, Indiana.   I was walking from town to my aunt’s house and we began looking at tombstones.  The names always fascinated me and the dates of their deaths seemed to tell a story.

This past week a Franciscan nun I knew died.   She was 91 and had done wonderful things in her life.  In recent years, she lived at the Mother Home where she was being cared for as she had Parkinson’s.   One of 13 children, she and 7 others had pursued religious positions.  A very inspirational family filled with mercy, kindness, charity, and hard work.

She believed that it was important to either be praying or working.    We’d go together to visit shut in’s, because she believed 2 or more should be teamed up for safety and to be conversational.   She’d remember the elderly and take them flowers or food or something they needed.  She was a great cook and listened well.

She worked in an orphanage in Alaska early in her vocation. Weather often kept planes from coming in for months on end and she had many stories to tell.  It was a special mission for about 14 years that she was called to do.   Later she went on to other works that were equally or more difficult.   I learned a lot from her and felt blessed to work at her side.   She insisted on eating lunch on time;  and always had lunch ready for those there.   No doubt her disciplines kept her energized and healthy for many years.

Who and what were you taught by a mentor?   What do you need to learn or replicate to make your life better? 

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