Two Pieces of Paper

 

 

 

That is it? Only these two pieces of paper?

As I have gotten older, I have pondered the concept of legacy. To quote Rick Warren, I have often wondered "what in the world am I here for?". Not just why am I here, but will my being here make a difference a generation or two from now?  When a friend or a loved one passes, the freshness of the memories stays with us for a long time. However precious, those memories will fade. For example, most of us know very little of our great grandparents, unless there are stories passed down within the family. Unless we become famous, other than a grave or crypt marker, all that will remain in a hundred years will be two simple pieces of paper.
 

No matter what county where we are born in, our birth is memorialized on a birth certificate. When we die, the same holds true for our death certificate. Two pieces of paper - an entire life lived between them. These two pieces of paper are important for history or genealogy, but what really matters is the life that existed between them.

As we have been going through my Mother's old papers, we have come across birth and death certificates for my grand parents. These are treasured documents and not only have I scanned them, but am keeping them safe to pass on to my kids. My kids will never know my grand parents as they have been gone for many years. However, I knew them and witnessed the impact they made on other's lives. 

I think back to my friend Paul from many years ago telling me that every day he likes to impact someones life, even if minute. A kind word, a caring deed, a hurtful wrong forgiven - these are simple things we can do every day to help fill in the pages of our life that lie between those two simple pieces of paper.

The next time you ponder your two pieces of paper, think of the opportunity that God has given us to make a huge difference as we journey between birth and death. Our two pieces of paper will eventually turn to dust, but our impact on others, on our world, is eternal.