How will you be remembered?

Now, I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon so please let's not board the freak-out train just yet.

How will we be remembered when we are gone?  This has been bouncing around inside my head for a few weeks now so I thought I would address it here.  I cannot remember the title but there is a song on christian radio that talks about how will we be remembered when we are gone, and I heard it again recently on TV.  The question is essentially, how do you want to be remembered when you are gone?  When I asked myself that question, I really did not have an answer.  I mean, I don't really get to make that decision now do I?  I don't really get to write the answer because I'll be gone.   The people I am around every day will write the answer to this question of who I was, not I.  But, for the sake of argument, I want to be remembered as a kind, caring, giving person who was always there for his family.  By there I mean, having time to spend with them, to help them with what is important to them or bothering them.  Not always wrapped up in what I think is important, not emotionally distant or putting what I want to do first.  Then it occurred to me that my first impression of this was completely wrong.  We do get to write the answer to the question of "Who I was" we all do.  Every day we write this answer with every kind or harsh word to another.   Every we try to see another's point of view or just dismiss them.  Every time that we focus just on ourselves and not others.  Every time we are too busy to spend time with our children or put aside what we want to get done to spend time with them we write this answer.  Most of us go through life without ever realising what now seems like a simple truth.  We write the story of who we are in the memories of those around us, we have the power to make those memories good or bad with every word every action or inaction, it really is up to us.  Jesus has given me a chance to make those memories good and not bad any more, to be the man I was meant to be instead of who I had become.  I know I'm not worthy of his grace but I accept it just the same.  I hope you will too.