A Legacy Of Love

No. 52 - 24th September 2017

At twenty to twelve last Saturday night, a young man in his early twenties drove down the high street on his motor bike, and turned into the Framfield Road. I don’t know if he was heading for home, but he didn’t make it. He crashed into the wall at the corner and lost his life there on the road. That’s all I know about it, but every time I drive down the hill from Ridgewood I’m forcibly reminded of him because of the flowers tied to the traffic lights.

What a fragile thing life is. Most of us walk out of the house every day without a thought for our lives. We just assume that everything is going to be as it’s always been. But here’s a family that has been suddenly struck by a terrible disaster. No warning. No time to prepare for such a tragedy. It just hit them out of nowhere. I don’t know who they are, but my heart goes out to them. The messages attached to the flowers, paint the picture of a young man who will be terribly missed. One of them in particular struck me as lovely. It came from three of his friends and read, “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal”.

I suppose most of us want to leave some sort of a legacy behind that shows we’ve been here and made a difference. Politicians want to introduce some kind of legislation that will always be linked with their name. They would love to think that perhaps one day a statue of them will be set up in their home town or even in Parliament Square. For most of us though, that isn’t going to happen. I don’t suppose it’ll happen for this young man. But what better legacy to leave than a legacy of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It doesn’t envy, it doesn’t boast, it’s not proud. It doesn’t dishonour others, it’s not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs”. That’s how the Bible describes love. It’s the sort of love that changes other people’s lives. It’s the sort of life you don’t ever want to forget. Someone recently said that “No one ever wants to reach the end of their life wishing that they had worked harder; instead, we all wish we’d had more time to love, and be loved”. We all want to know that our life matters, and that we’ve made a difference. I know I do.