Thanks for the legacy
Guest Blogger | 8 September 2022 | Blogs
At the launch of Remember a Charity Week, I’m counting my blessings.
By far the best definition of legacy giving I know is “a conversation between generations”. Wittingly or unwittingly, we pass our assets, values and ideas on to future generations. And wittingly or unwittingly, we inherit assets, values and ideas from those who have gone before.
As I approach retirement, I’ve been thinking about the many legacies I have received in my life so far, and how they have helped shape me. It’s time to say some thank yous.
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Thank you to my family
First to my parents, for giving me a stable, comfortable, loving upbringing. My father and mother taught us to be respectful, tidy our bedrooms and do our homework. I learned to ride a bike and play the piano (both badly!). We had many happy European holidays, piled into our Austin 1100, groaning with camping gear, clothes for every eventuality and several weeks’ supply of food. My parents delighted in new cultures and spectacular scenery – so now I do too.
I inherited my dad’s intellectual curiosity, along with his craving for public recognition. I inherited my mum’s social conscience, her defence of the underdog and desire to keep the peace.
Of course, my parents were shaped by their own upbringing. I’d love to thank the long-dead teacher at my dad’s East End primary school for nurturing his fierce intelligence and hunger for education.
My mother received steadfast parental love when she was growing up; so naturally she passed that on to her children too. Through my mum I’ve also inherited my grandmother’s love of gardening, and my grandfather’s colouring (we burn in summer, but seldom go grey).
Thank you to those beyond my family
But outside the family, there are so many more people to thank. The super-cool economics teacher who sparked my fascination with social sciences. My first boss who drilled me in the importance of clarity and accuracy; and of always clearing your desk before you leave the office. My second boss, who took a gamble on me after just a 30-minute interview; and didn’t lose his temper when I crashed my company car into a wall. The doctor who sent me to hospital before shingles could damage my eyesight… The list is endless.
Many of the people who have influenced me have never met me. Actors like Robert Lindsay (as Hamlet, not Wolfie Smith), Tim Roth (more for Kafka than Tarantino) and Judi Dench (as Mother Courage and as M) who made me leave the theatre in a daze. Writers like Salman Rushdie, Ernest Hemingway and Isabel Allende, who opened my suburban British eyes to the wider world in all its glory and complexity.
And beyond them again, a myriad of campaigners and innovators who forged the society I have grown up in; from the suffragettes to the founders of the NHS to today’s digital entrepreneurs.
Leaving a legacy of your own
Why am I saying this? Because when it comes to leaving a legacy of your own, family is of course important. For those lucky enough to have one, a loving family is the bedrock underpinning our lives. But it’s not enough. Just as we have each been shaped by many people, events and organisations, so will our successors. So if you want to leave a gift that nurtures those you hold dearest, you must embrace the wider world too.
So when you are thinking about your own legacies – those received and those yet to come – ask yourself “What will I add to the conversations between generations?”
Photo: Annie Vo on Unsplash.com
This Remember A Charity week, why not take five minutes to write down the people, events and organisations who have shaped you. Think broadly and creatively about the things you value in your life and how they came to be there. Why not leave them a gift in your will to say thank you?
Meg Abdy, co-founder of Legacy Foresight (part of the Legacy Futures Group)
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