Hello, all!
Some of you may know that I am quite fascinated in researching genealogy. On a trip to Thomas Jefferson's home (Monticello) a few years back, I saw the surname Randolph on tombstones in his family gravesite, on the Monticello grounds. This got me thinking... My Grandma Nila was a Randolph. Am I related to Thomas Jefferson? In elementary school, I had already decided I was a big fan of Mr. Jefferson.
So, I bought one of the books Thomas Jefferson penned in his life (he kept 5 diaries on a daily basis), in hopes that my Randolph "dilemma" would be solved. I learned my family is related to Jane Jefferson, his older and "favorite" sister (per his book), supposedly. The Randolphs were quite the prestigious family in Virginia in those days, and intermarried. So, we may be related to Thomas Jefferson in some way, but it will take more time to figure that out...
Jefferson left an obvious legacy to Americans, through the Library of Congress, the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Declaration of Independence and numerous inventions (including a "seven day clock"), to name a few. He was also a doting father. Many don't know that when he died, he didn't leave a fortune, but actually owed many debtors. His estate and personal belongings were sold a year after his death, as his daughter couldn't bring him out of the "red" (no pun intended... he was also a red-head).
What kind of legacy do we want to leave?
Doug and I talked recently about what things we want to be sure to teach Ava as she grows up. These were some of our thoughts:
1. Teach Ava to love God. God created the world for her! (and for you, and for me, too!) Doug and I were once on a road trip, driving along the highway. I saw a flower in the most inconspicuous spot, in a little crevice high on a cliff near the expressway. I thought to myself... Why would God put that flower in that particular spot? It seemed so out of place, growing amongst rock? Then I realized, as strange as it may sound, that he put that flower there for me.
Having Ava has put some things in perspective for me. I now realize, more than ever, that life is about "the long haul" rather than immediate gratification. To think that God planted the seed, grew the flower, and put us on the highway at that exact moment is what amazes me. All for that exact moment. I know God plants many, many flowers high atop rocks, it's just a matter of us recognizing them in those spots. We need to be sure Ava understands this and is aware of God daily in her life. I want her to grow up to be a "lady" (hard to come by these days, I'm thinking), and a "woman of God".
2. Teach Ava to love and be respectful of others. She will say "please" and "thank you" and be respectful to everyone with whom she comes into contact. We will need to be especially mindful of this when the "terrible two's" arrive!
She should treat men, women, young, old, black, white, Hispanic, Japanese, disabled or not; each and every person, all in a loving manner.
3. Teach Ava to be resourceful. If I am the "jack of all trades, master of none" (if even the "jack" at all), Doug would be the "master of all". He probably doesn't think so (Mr. Modesty). He seems to be good at whatever he does. He reads books on how to accomplish something, and then he does it. I want to ensure Ava has the same sense of confidence and adventure (in tackling the unknown, especially) when she is growing up.
This brings back memories of the dictionary which sat on a shelf under our end-table when I was growing up. If ever I wondered how something was spelled, my Mom would point me in the direction of the dictionary (not in a cruel way at all, just to teach me to find it myself). I thank my Mom for keeping the dictionary there, and letting me find it. Eventually I went to the dictionary directly, knowing that is where the answer could be found.
To sum up this point, we want to instill in Ava that education (even educating one's self) is priceless. It is something that can't ever be taken away from you.
These are just a few of the things we want to teach Ava.
The following passage from Joshua 4:1-9, upon the Israelites crossing the Jordan River, still strikes a cord with me, regarding leaving a legacy:
"When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 'Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.'
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, 'Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' Tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. '
So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day."
What if one of the Israelites didn't follow orders and pick up their stone? I definitely don't want to be the one to mess that up...
Today I think of the stone I will be leaving for Ava and eventually her great-grandchildren.
Shelly
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