My mother, grandparents, and that side of the family are from Cuba.  They experienced the loss of everything they had when they left Cuba on the last Red Cross boat allowed to bring refugees in 1963.  They could leave, but were not allowed to bring a thing.  My grandparents left their home, their family, all money and goods, and came with only the clothes on their backs in their mid-forties.   They left all material goods for freedom.  They (Mima and Papi) left a beautiful home in warm Havana, Cuba and moved to Indianapolis.   

The courage to start over for freedom:  legacy.

My dad’s parents (Nana and Poppop) were originally from New Jersey- be nice- but ended up in Indiana, which we called “home”.   They had the grace to welcome two apprehensive Cuban adults, who spoke no English, into the family with open arms.  My dad’s father actually got my mom’s father his first job here in this country, with RCA.

The heart to help others:  legacy.

Growing up, I witnessed the love between my two sets of grandparents impact the relationship of my parents.  Mom and Dad built a unique culture for our family of four, drawing from their own, full of cooking and good food, family gatherings, and lots of music and wine!  There were regular games nights.  There was limited time on the TV (the only device)- imagine that!  There was always music in our home, and the older I get, the more I am grateful for that.  My dad would debate that my choice of music genre could be improved upon; his being jazz and mine being country.

Creating family traditions:  legacy.

We were always part of a church; setting aside time to worship and to intentionally grow in faith.   On Christmas Eves, we were at Bethlehem Lutheran, honoring the birth of Christ.   I recall all of us piling into my Uncle Karl’s van to go to midnight service, on frigid Indiana nights, priceless memories.

Honoring the Grace of God:  legacy.

If you are a young parent, you’ve got time to intentionally start creating a legacy for your kids.  Think upon all of those who came before you, your relatives, our Biblical brothers and sisters, those we’ve admired through history, and those we admire in our every day lives.    Think about all of the things they’ve done right.  Model them; one legacy fuels the next.

I treasure my memories with my grandparents.  I see the legacy they were building for us by the lives they led.  I wish I could tell them how much I appreciate their love and sacrifices and acts of courage and grace.  I know how fortunate I am to have Mom and Dad close by; at 83 and 84, they are still my role models of how to really live.

Perhaps the right thing to do now is to honor their lives by the way we try to live ours.