Seize the Moment, Leave a Legacy

The outside temperature was 5º yesterday when I woke up.  My wife was already out of the house.  She was teaching a faith formation class to her 9th grade students.  I wrote my morning blog story and showered in time to join her at church.  The short walk gave me time to meditate on my life.  My thoughts were all about my family and the commitments each member is making.  It was also a day to honor our youngest son for completing a memorable football season.  Twelve coaches, most of them unpaid volunteers, lined up to shake hands with the players as they received their awards.  All the parents of the the twenty-four seniors on the team were asked to accompany their sons as they accepted their awards.

"Shane never missed a single practice," the head coach announced while we were going through the lineup.  "And he was never late.  We didn't really know much about him because he transferred in to the community and he was the new kid on the block.  We knew he would always be there and we could count on him."

The head coach got choked up when he shared stories about the players.  Clearly, he treated each one as members of his own family.  A banner hung above him inside the halls of the volunteer fire department which was turned into a banquet room for the evening.  It read:  Seize the Moment, Leave a Legacy.  Shane's coach talked about what those words chosen by the seniors on the team meant to him.  I thought about those words, too.  I thought about the commitment each player made to the team.  I thought about all the volunteer fire fighters who answer the call no matter what time it is to keep our community safe.  I wondered if these young men would become the next generation of volunteers on the football field or if they would lead Sunday school classes.  Perhaps some of them will sign up to be volunteer fire fighters for our community. Whatever these fine young men do, they will build on the commitments they made to be a part of an amazing team.  And I will never forget about the importance of seizing the moment and leaving a legacy.

What commitment are you going to make today that you will show up for no matter how hot or cold it is outside, how you feel, or how big the list of possible excuses happens to be?  Will you choose to seize the moment and leave a legacy?  The choice is yours.  It begins with your commitment.