Every patriarch leaves a legacy – what’s yours going be?

When I was a young girl, I adored my grandpa almost more than anyone else in the world. He was a gentleman, he was generous, he was caring and most of all, he was a laugh a minute.

My Pa was known and loved by the people in his life for his witty, amusing and pointed quotes. In our family we still today refer to them as his “Pa-isms”. Just to give you an idea of these “Pa-isms”:

• Don’t scratch the pattern off the plate
• My barber charges me $20. $2 for the haircut and $18 for the search fee!
• You kids are all such rock and roll stars the way you rock on chairs. I’ll be laughing when you’re rolling
• Rush gently
• It’s not illegal if the police aren’t around
• We do have glasses in this establishment
• Don’t get old love, you get stupid
• I only indicate when I want to

And there are so many more that we laugh about and repeat on many occasions. As his grandchildren, we don’t care about the financial aid he left us to contribute to our university funding nor the beach house that our parents inherited and we get to use at leisure.

It’s the memories he gave us and those special words we, so often find ourselves repeating.

A friend of mine has a story for everything. They aren’t personal stories; he doesn’t even have a connection to the majority of the people he talks about. Why? Because they are the beautiful tales his Grandpa shared with him and his siblings.

“So John and Andrew were able to pick the jelly up on the spoon and would throw it across the dining hall at boarding school. It was that tough and firm it would hit the far wall and bounce on the ground before it even began to break!”

Some were lessons, some were funny, some you really didn’t quite understand the point, but you could always count on his Grandpa to have an incredible tale ready at the waiting that could relate to every situation.

And so many years later, his stories are still being shared.

Another friend has an incredible knack for financial advice. Completely unqualified and unsolicited, but she always has a principal to apply to anything.

Why? Her granddad taught her. Her granddad understood the way the world worked and instead of sharing his wealth with his family when the time came, he wanted to teach them what to do with it.

Every patriarch has his legacy and when we leave behind our loved ones, our greatest gifts aren’t always what we think they will be.

Whether it’s your quotes, stories, one-liners or advice, your children and grandchildren will remember you for something special. It’s something that is shared between the two of you emotionally and mentally, not something that you leave them in a legal document.

Grandma or Grandpa, you will be remembered for something but it won’t be the physical things you leave your family.

So, what will your legacy be? How do you want your grandchildren and children to remember you? What was the legacy your grandparents left you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below…