Clicking through the movie list, a Civil War story caught my attention. I settled in to watch The Colt, not expecting to discover a life lesson unfolding.
Set during the Civil War, the movie follows two small, struggling groups of soldiers, one on each side of the war. At the center of the story is the birth of a colt to one of the Yankee horses. The colt quickly becomes a symbol of hope, and Corporal Jim Rabb risks his life to rescue it when the opposing troops steal it.
But it was a side story that caught my attention.
An illustrator named Mr. Covington accompanied the Yankee troop. While sketching the war, he hoped one of his illustrations might catch the attention of editors back east. He wanted his work to be noticed.
When Corporal Rabb asked Covington to sketch his mare and the new colt, Covington was happy to oblige. As he studied the colt, Rabb pointed out its straight legs and sloping shoulders.
“Yeah, he could surely cover ground if he took his mind to doing so,” Rabb observed.
He went on to explain that the colt had inherited the “old mustang blood” from his mother, who had been a mustang filly.
As they talked, Rabb mentioned his brother, recently killed in the war, who had apparently liked it. Covington observed that for some men, war presents an opportunity.
“Is that why you’re here?” Rabb asked.
“No,” Covington replied. “I’d like to make a name for myself like everyone else. I want to be remembered.”
“What, you think you have to make a name for yourself to be worth remembering?” Rabb asked.
“Yeah, I suppose I do,” Covington answered.
That exchange stopped me.
Perhaps because, in one way or another, we all want to be remembered. We hope our lives will leave something behind. A story our children tell. A difference a friend remembers. A contribution that made our community better. A nonprofit that continued to serve people because we helped start it.
We often think of legacy as something we create at the end of our lives. We talk about the gift we hope to leave, the organization we will establish, the work we hope to accomplish, or the difference we hope to make someday.
But what if our legacy isn’t something we create at the end?
What if we’re creating it right now?
Our legacy in the rearview mirror
Legacy is often easier to see looking backward than looking forward. We make plans for the future, but the people around us are watching what we do today. They collect the stories, remember the choices and form their own understanding of what matters to us.
A donor may plan a significant gift someday, but the way that donor gives today is already part of the story. Do they listen to nonprofit leaders? Do they trust them? Do they give only for specific projects, or do they help provide the resources an organization needs to do its work?
A nonprofit leader may have a compelling vision for what an organization could become five years from now.
But the organization’s legacy is being shaped today by how people are treated, how decisions are made, how promises are kept and how the organization responds when things don’t go as planned.
The same is true for all of us.
Our future intentions matter. They can change the direction of our story. But they aren’t yet part of our legacy.
Our legacy is being created in the rearview mirror, one decision at a time.
A glimpse in the mirror
Alfred Nobel was given an unusual opportunity to see his legacy before his life was over.
Nobel, the engineer and inventor who developed dynamite and held hundreds of patents, became wealthy from inventions that could be used for both industry and destruction. Then, after his brother died, a newspaper mistakenly published Alfred Nobel’s obituary.
He read how the world might remember him.
The obituary reportedly described him as the “merchant of death.”
Imagine seeing your own legacy reflected back at you while you still have time to do something about it.
Nobel couldn’t change what he had already done. He couldn’t erase his inventions or the wealth those had produced. But, like all of us, he could influence what came next.
By the end of his life, he had committed 94 percent of his assets to establishing prizes that recognize achievements that benefit humanity. Today, his name is associated with the Nobel Prizes and the ideals they represent. We’ll start learning about this year’s prize winners on October 5.
Nobel had a chance to look in the rearview mirror and decide that he wanted the road ahead to look different.
Most of us will never receive such a dramatic glimpse of how our lives will be remembered. But we get small glimpses all the time.
We hear what our children say about generosity. We see how former employees remember working with us.
We learn what nonprofit partners say about our support.
We watch what happens to an organization after we’ve stepped away.
Those moments can tell us something about the legacy we’re already creating.
And perhaps that’s the point.
We don’t have to wait until the end of the road to ask what will be left behind.
We can look in the mirror now.
Not to judge every mile we’ve traveled or regret the turns we wish we had taken differently. The rearview mirror is useful because it tells us where we’ve been. It doesn’t tell us we have to stay there.
For those of us who give, lead nonprofits, serve on boards, raise families or simply move through our communities, there are still miles ahead. Our next decisions will become part of the story, too.
Maybe the question isn’t, “What will my legacy be?”
Maybe it’s, “What am I adding to it today?”
Because someday, someone else will tell our story. They will look backward at the choices we made, the people we helped, the opportunities we created and the values we lived.
We may not control every word of that story.
But we are still writing it.
And that’s the good news.
The road ahead is still ours to travel.
Read it. Share it. Pass it on.
If you have a question or a topic you would like to see explored in future posts, please reach out to me.
The Gift of Giving by Dawn Franks is a practical, inspiring guide to living with purpose through generosity. Filled with real-world wisdom, it encourages readers to make a meaningful difference and leave a lasting legacy. Click to learn more about The Gift of Giving.
Website: www.dawnfranks.com
Email: dawn@dawnfranks.com
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