Creating Legacies

The combination of having a child and living so close to family has caused me to really think about the things I most value and if I'm living in such a way that it will be obvious to my children. Adam and I both came from loving, whole families, which is becoming more and more rare these days. We get to watch and learn and reflect on the legacies being created right before our eyes. 

One thing that I highly value and appreciate about my parents is their emphasis on whole family time and vacations. We've been on some pretty awesome family vacations- Hawaii, Costa Rica, Cancun, Tahoe. But the weeks at the Florida and South Carolina beaches are just as memorable and meaningful as the more extravagant ones. 

When we first moved to Atlanta, my mom worked at my dad's store to save money for us to go to the Grand Canyon and Colorado. How self sacrificing! That was our first ever big family vacation, and it was awesome. I still remember my sister on the airplane asking, "Are we about to blast off?" 

Because these vacations aren't about seeing cool places (but it's really a fantastic bonus). They're about creating family memories and strengthening the bond we have with one another. These vacations were obviously easier to pull off when we all lived at home. But my parents have continued to make it a point to get all of us together for family vacations. And I love it! 

We just had a weekend at the lake with everyone after also having a week at the beach in May. Nolan's budding relationships with his cousins makes me ridiculously happy. A full house filled with chaos makes me almost giddy. I recognize that my love for family time is part of what my parents are passing down to me (hopefully my siblings as well). Being intentional about coming together is something I highly value. And it's something that's been modeled to me for much of my life. 

It's caused me to think about what we're living out for Nolan right now. What is he going to notice that is especially important to us that could potentially become especially important to him. As we're praying about our next steps, I hope we realize we're living out a legacy. Adam and I have been examining how we're using this life, how we're living out our faith. We say we want to live Jesus centered lives, but what does that look like? It's prodding good conversations and pushing us to action. I'm thankful for that. 

I'm thankful we have parents who are passing on legacies that are worth so much more than riches. I'm hoping we can be faithful with what's been deposited into us as we sow into our children the things that really matter. 

But for real, this cousin love makes me happy!