Footprints in the sand...

 

 

"We may never pass this way again..."

Seals and Croft 

It is true that we may never pass this way again. This may be our one stop on this voyage called life. And what are we to do with it? What impact can or will we leave? What kind of legacy will be left behind? What kind of footsteps will we leave in the sand? Even though footprints will soon be eroded by nature, they are still there, albeit for a fleeting moment. Time enough for the rest of us, the ones who remain, to follow them, to learn from them.

In the past few months, my wife has lost her Father. I have lost my Mother. Both losses were tough, no matter what the age. Both parents lived a full life, as they died in their 90's.

Recently, we have also seen one of our good friends lose a son. A family member lose a father. Both of those left much too early.

With each passing, I am reminded of John Donne, and what he said in his famous poem No Man is an Island:

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bells toll;

It tolls for thee...

 

As we know, death is an equal opportunity provider. None of us escape. We are born, we die. Between those two events is this thing called life. After birth, life is nothing more than a blank slate. As my son-in-law would say, an empty canvas. There are no footprints in the sand as yet. And yet as the first footprint appears, one's legacy begins. How will that person will impact others and society? How will that person will be impacted by others. Will that person live a rich life, or a shallow life? And how will that person be remembered long after footprints fade and once again return to just sand.

 

So on this day, this Mother's Day, I think about footprints. How mothers affect our lives. How my Mother affected my life. How my wife's Mother affected her life. How as a mother, my wife has impacted both our girls. The footprints in the sand run deep in many families. I know they do in ours.

 

So as this day dawns, so does the next opportunity to leave another footprint in the sand. It is a good day to do so, as we may never pass this way again...