Legacy – What Will Yours Be

1906

That is the year my family farm officially began. Hard to believe it’s been that long. While I definitely wasn’t around for the early years, I have been around for enough of the later years to appreciate the legacy of what my family has built.

I so greatly appreciate all the work, hardship and dedication from all previous Glassfords to build what is now the family farm.

The definition of legacy is: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

Now that could actually be many different things, but I would like to focus more on the intangible instead of the tangible.

What does an intangible legacy mean? What does a legacy look like? How do you do it? Why would you want to leave a legacy?

So many questions. Friend, if you have been with me long enough you know I won’t usually bring you a lot of answers but try to leave with you some questions or ideas to work through. So that is what I am going to do here. Work to give you some things to think about.

What the answers are, will be up to you.

Legacies come in all shapes and sizes.

Do you want to leave a legacy? Who is the legacy for? Why is it important to leave this legacy? How will you do it?

There are many different aspects to a legacy. Or there can be. Because my faith is the core of who I am my desire is to leave a legacy of faith. That may look very different from the legacy you wish to leave.

I am endlessly grateful for what my family has done through the years and created for our home on the prairies and also in my family line. Since I wasn’t around in 1906 and in the early days I don’t really know how it went. But I can imagine.

Settling on the Saskatchewan prairie was not for the faint of heart. It would have been incredibly difficult in those early years. But so many of those who came before me put in the hard work to create something beautiful, meaningful and that would last for those that would follow in their footsteps.

The province of Saskatchewan has been recognizing the importance of legacy of the family farm with an annual award and recognition for a family farm that has reached the century mark. I think that is pretty great. Recognition for generations of hard work and commitment on the farm. My family was privileged to receive this award.

I spent some time looking through the records of the farms that have received this award and was encouraged to see the thousands of different ones recognized. Thousands and thousands. I am so proud to live in a province that has such a rich heritage in agriculture.

So what does that legacy mean for me? Well I might be like you in that I have thought about this but I know I need to consider it more. I have more thinking to do and decisions to make in how I am going to move forward on this path.

Like so many important things no one knows how it will end up. But having a bigger and greater plan for what the end result will be is crucial. Then putting in the work to get to that end result is key.

Not one of us is promised a specific result or path, but we can move forward in faith towards that legacy in physical form or something not quite as tangible but just as important. My great-grandfather had no idea what the years would bring but his family put in the work to lay the foundation for those to come after him.

Building a legacy takes hard work, lots of time and a commitment for the future. A future you might not even see.

So friend, I am with you if you feel like you need to continue to work through this and keep thinking about it, I am right there with you.

Comment below with your thoughts on legacies or whatever else you like or if you would like more information about just let me know. I would really like to hear what you think. Shoot me a personal message through the contact form on the site. I would love it if you like this enough to share it with others. Please SUBSCRIBE in the box above, it helps you know more of what’s going on.