A Path to Where?

A friend of mine died last week, and it has left me wondering about the impact his passing will have on the community, his family, and his friends.

And that bit of wondering led me down the path of thought as to what impact any of our lives have on the town, the environment, the people, the slice of existence we have touched.

It’s an unknown for most of us. We may not ever know what we have contributed to the future. Just think, did Abraham Lincoln’s grandparents think their children would give birth to a future president?

Did great artists or musicians believe their work would last for centuries after their deaths?

We might wish to be remembered and honored for the contributions we have made, but it is unlikely we can envision what might result from our brief visit to the earth at this time.

Did our financial contribution help build a hospital that will save a future leader’s life?

Did we encourage the person who someday will discover a cure for dementia?

Were we the catalyst for a change in the town where we lived, guaranteeing the city’s future was financially secure?

Did we touch a child’s life with praise when failure was apparent?

Did we fail to suggest peace when war was erupting?

Did we turn our back on a need we confronted?

We will never know which path the future will take, nor if our actions were instrumental in bringing joy or sorrow to an uncertain future, but we do have choices. We can choose to be fearful, greedy, angry, cynical, contemptuous, suspicious, and hurtful.

Or we can be hopeful, optimistic, loving, positive, generous and kind.

It is a choice, and the future of the world rests with what we decide to do today.

I hope we each walk a path our great, great, great, great grandchildren will thank us for taking.