The Legacy Alter - Part 1 of 2
It has taken me a long time to find the right name for the outdoor ceremony option. Are we surprised? 415 was named “The Venue land” up until a week before announcing that we were breaking ground.
I want everything to have a meaning behind it and this is no different.
I have many people and experiences who have made me who I am today. Caleb of course (hence the 415), Gracyn Elizabeth and the memories of witnessing mom go through the pain of birthing a stillborn, and the people in my family who have raised me.
Most importantly, my grandparents.
Politics, community spotlight, and cancer are only a few challenges they've had to face. My Poppa and Granddaddy have both positively affected the community in which they served for decades. They have created a legacy for future generations of our family and the community! Their biggest supporters and the person by their side through it all were their wives, my Granny and Grandmommy.
Ahh… legacy. It sounds so weighty, monumental, bigger than life!
But what is a legacy?
We tend to overplay the notion of legacy in our culture. We often think of it as a status thing, like our name on a building or a street named after us. Lucky for me, I have people in my life that have achieved just that. But they have done so much more the public eye will never see.
Legacy is all around us, every single day. Legacy is the mark we are making right this very moment. It’s our story no matter how big or small we think it is. It’s not about conquering the world or building a mass of wealth. Legacy, plain and simple, is what you leave behind.
Legacy is a poppa staying up late patiently teaching his granddaughter algebra after spending hours earlier in the day teaching her how to drive. “I never liked that crepe myrtle anyway”
It’s a Granny taking your measurements so she can sew you a new outfit for school that “nobody else will have”. Or being your senior year college roommate because you failed biochemistry again and have to go back another semester with no place to live.
Legacy is a Grandaddy who shakes his head when you pick out all the trinkets at Walmart for him to buy before you stay the night. His story telling of when he had a cucumber garden, the hard work it required, and the best ways to know when the cucumber is ready.
It’s a Grandmommy who takes the time to check on you weekly, send you a Friday surprise, and model what genuine kindness is. It’s teaching you the proper way to cut a lemon peel into a rose for an ice ring while drinking wine with you and laughing over clam chowder.
When they stood at the alter on their wedding day, they made the commitment and sacrifice to put the other first and to love one another the way Jesus loves us. And I believe that is why they were and are so successful - at marriage, their careers, and life. It was because of their faith and faithfulness to one another that created a legacy and the name for the outdoor ceremony - The Legacy Alter.
