What a Legacy
I attended a birthday party this past weekend for a dear friend. It was in celebration of her 100th birthday.
It was the first 100th birthday party I’ve attended, and it was as magnificent as it was significant.
It takes 100 years for a Giant Sequoia tree to reach its full height. 100 years of slow and steady growth to a height of approximately 300 feet. If you’re watching it grow, the 3 feet of growth a year might not be all that noticeable, but after 100 years, a full-grown sequoia is something to behold. After 100 years, its roots run deep, its trunk is sound and sturdy and its branches reach for the sun.
Year in and year out, my friend has lived into the question, “How can I add peace and love to other people’s lives and to the world?”
Day by day, year after year, person by person, the effect of her on-going interest in answering that question, together with her faith, her presence, and her goodness, means that she has touched the lives of more people than she or I will ever know. Her roots run deep, she is unwavering in her faith and goodness and she continues to reach out to the world, to learn, to teach, and to be.
In a world that values instant gratification, fame, and is obsessed with being noticed and seen, it’s refreshing to witness what quiet consistency, over the long-haul, can create. My friend isn’t a TikTok or YouTube star, an influencer, or even very tall, but she is something to behold.
And she did it not quickly nor instantly nor famously, but quietly, over 100 years, by patiently contemplating the question, “How can I add peace and love to other people’s lives and to the world?”