Your Legacy

What do you think I mean by “Your Legacy”?  Am I after your money (I am after all, a fundraiser!)? Or do I mean your legacy to mankind?  Perhaps, on this occasion, a little of both of these things.

My legacy to mankind is my three children, two sons and a daughter; all of whom my husband and I are extremely proud (yes I do know that pride is a sin, but on this occasion I’m allowing myself that sin!); they have all done well in their chosen professions, they have not caused us a lot of trouble (only an occasional little blip or two over the years but nothing serious J).  We brought them up to be tolerant of all people, no matter what religion, race or beliefs their friends had, to be kind to everyone they met and, quite simply, to care about their fellow men.  In return, their legacy to us is eight beautiful children; two of whom are of Jamaican descent, two of Nigerian descent, one of Ghanaian descent and three of “pure” British descent (I hope that doesn’t offend anyone, especially my family but I didn’t know how else to phrase it!!).  I watch these eight children playing with each other at family occasions, totally oblivious that any are “different” from their cousins and oh, how I wish all the people in the world could get along with each other like these children do.

My work with Children in Distress involves visiting Romania, usually at least once each year and I see a legacy of another kind; Ceaucescu’s legacy.  Without exception, where there is trouble in any country in the world, it is always the children who suffer the most.  Ceaucescu’s legacy was having imported contaminated blood, he left thousands of children (and adults) with HIV and AIDS.  Unable to afford medication for their children, parents abandoned them, often to the perils of terrible institutions where they were bound inside filthy cots, left unattended for hours at a time, kept short of food and most of all, deprived of love.  This is where Children in Distress stepped in to cure, sometimes; to help, often; to comfort, always.  This is their legacy.

 

Your legacy could be, simply, to leave a bequest in your Will to Children in Distress to help them continue this valuable work.  The month of May is ‘Make a Will’ month, so why not make yours and leave a legacy to Children in Distress?  No matter how large or small your legacy is, it would make a difference to the children in our care.  Children are our future; we must always care for them.