What is a life?

This summer I find myself in a more reflective place than normal. My mom passed away last fall, somewhat unexpectedly and I’ve spent much of the summer in our family home going through my parents' things, connecting with their friends and community and it really has me thinking when all is said and done, what is a life?

I’ve gone through hundreds of pictures from my parents’ growing up to my childhood through to my children’s childhood (we’re picture people so long before iPhones were a thing we took tons of pictures). I’ve seen candid moments captured, a smile, vacation fun, holidays, family pictures, my grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, my sister, kids, husband, pets, friends, big moments and small- all captured to relive and reflect on.

My mom was a collector and her home is filled with things that brought her joy, and while there are tons of memories attached to many of these things, they are just things. When you think about it, we buy a lot of stuff in our life, and it’s true you can’t take it with you.

I’ve felt the impact my mom had in her community. Everyone we see who knew her talks about her smile, her big heart, her creativity- all things that she gave of generously. One of the clubs that she was a member of is creating an award in her honor- mentorship, creativity, leadership and impact. She was very involved for over 30 years in this particular club, won national awards, was a teacher, mentor, leader and had a huge impact on the club and the community. At some point in the future, people in the club won’t have experienced my mom in person or remember her, but the impact she had will live on.

We spend so much of our lives working, but at the end of the day it’s not about how much you worked or how much stuff you have, it's about the impact you have. At the end of life, no one says I wish I worked more. As a high achiever myself and one who serves high achieving clients this resonates -we spend a lot of time working. Something to think about this summer is what impact do you want to have? It may be in your family, community, professional circle, but what is the lasting impact you’ll leave behind and how do you start creating your legacy? Kind of heady stuff I know, but worth reflecting on.