I recently had the opportunity to learn about and to honor the founder of Providence Ministries, a network of services supporting the poor and needy in the Greater Springfield area. Sr. Margaret, a Sister of Providence has been a friend for 5 years, yet I never really knew the gifts her vision and leadership have been, and continue to be, to the needy of our community.
At 80, she was honored by friends and supporters in a way that allowed her to see that her very special leadership gifts, and the services they spawned over the years, will live on.
I can’t imagine a better gift than the tangible one of being acknowledged for a vision and life of service which your donors, supporters and staff have committed to carry on in your memory. And, to have it celebrated BEFORE you die. To be very clear, this amazing woman is very much alive and kicking.
Over this last year, in the autumn of my own life, in my 80th year myself, the issue of legacy keeps surfacing in my mind and heart. One’s life can matter in so many different ways. For good and ill.
Thank you, Margaret, for this prompt to put some attention to the legacy conversations I want to have with myself and my elder friends. We all matter in ways we may not even know ourselves. And WE’RE STILL HERE with time to make some choices about that.