A Gift I'd Like to Give

A friend of mine has died recently. I have no idea how or why it happened, all I know is that a good friend and a wonderful person is now gone. I had the privilege of attending a memorial service to commemorate and celebrate his life. During the service, those who mourned had the opportunity to say what was on their minds and in their hearts... I hope that what I shared helped, but what was said helped me more. My friend left his mark on the world, a legacy that defies even death. Several people talked about the mark he made in life, and pointed out that we have that power as well. With that power comes a realization. I want to leave this world a better place than it was before. I want my mark or inflence to live on in the people whose lives I touch.

The gift I'd like to give...is My mark on the world.

The quest of leaving a mark on the world seemed a huge challenge for me. On the way back from the memorial service, I put a lot of thought into how I could make a positive change in the world. Thoughts of feeding Africa, and curing cancer flotaed to my mind. The Peace Corps. and the Salvation Army loomed over me, saying, "You want to leave your mark? Do you want to make a difference? Step up." It shook the foundation of my hope to be a force for good. Although those orginizations or accomplishments would undoubtedly leave a mark, they weren't things that I wanted to do. I shook my head, shrugged off the notion that I could leave my mark, and went on my way.

Life went on. As I continued doing what I normaly do, I discovered something. It doesn't take finding a cure for cancer to leave a mark. All it takes is trying your very hardest, to be the best person you can be. I hope that I have made a positive change, and left my tiny mark on the world.

A Gift I'd Like to Give

A friend of mine has died recently. I have no idea how or why it happened, all I know is that a wonderful person and a good man is now gone. I had the privilege of attending a memorial service to comemorate and celebrate his life. During the service, those who mourned had the opportunity to say what was on their mind, and in their hearts... I hope what I shared helped, but what was said by others helped me more. My friend left his mark on the world and in each of those attending, he left a sort of legacy that defies even death. Several people talked about the mark that he made during his life, and pointed out that we have that kind of power as well. With that power comes a realization. I want to leave this world a better place than it was before.

The gift I'd like to give... is My mark on the world.