Leaving a Legacy

It occuenrred to me the other day as I was baking of just what a great legacy has been left for me. Certainly my family is not perfect, not by a LONG shot, but I was certainly raised in such a way that I was left one amazing legacy. I have such great examples of how to be a woman of God, and how a Godly family operates, it's pretty amazing. One legacy that I've often thought about, and praised God for, is that not one single marriage in my immediate family (grandparents, first cousins that I see the most, parents) has ended in divorce. In fact, both sets of grandparents were married for at least 50 years, my parents and aunt & uncle married for over 25 years, my closest cousin married for 10. Each of them has a God-centered marriage and are going strong. I love to sit with my Maw-Maw and listen to stories from "back in the day," here lately I can't seem to have a conversation with her without her saying "I can't wait to go be with my sweet-heart." My paw-paw died when I was in the 5 grade. It breaks my heart to hear her say that, cause I want to keep her here with me forever, but isn't that like the sweetest thing you ever heard? Growing up, I got to watch my parents have the most amazing marriage. It's definitely something to aspire to. My parents set such a great example in how to raise a kid. They certainly made their share of mistakes, but I don't think anyone could have had a better childhood. We always had what we needed. We even got a lot of what we wanted. We knew to be thankful for what we have. On more than one occasion strangers have gone out of their way to inform them that my brothers had great manners. When we did something wrong, they didn't compromise their morals or ours, they always stood their ground. When my brother had his accident and became paralyzed, my mom dropped everything to go take care of him for MONTHS in the hospital. It's something that when contrasted with other people's raising, I'm just so immensely grateful. In beginning to notice the legacies that were left for me, I started thinking about the legacy I want to leave for my daughter and all who come in contact with me. I want my kids to grow up exuding the fruit of the Spirit. I pray often that Jesus shines so brightly through me that people come up to me to ask if I'm a Christian. I get that from my Grandfather. He's been a preacher for as long as I can remember and on the job delivering news papers to a convenience store, a lady came up to him, asked if he was a pastor, and asked that he pray for her once he confirmed that he was. I want to be the loving wife that if I die before my husband does, he can't wait to die to join me in heaven. I want my kids to look back and say, "man, I had one awesome mama." I want everyone I come in contact with to feel loved once I leave them. I want everyone to want a relationship with Jesus. I want people to know to not follow the teachings of their church or some televangelist, I want them to seek God's word and walk with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I want people to know that Jesus came, died on the cross and rose from the dead, in order to have a close, personal relationship with you.