Fourth of July night I sat outside of the little house on the lake with friends and family, watching a spectacular sunset over the lake. Again I was struck by just how lucky I am to have such a place and of why I get out of bed every morning to go to work at a place I hate so I can afford it. And as I often do I thought of my father and how he got what it was all about. Talking to my son, he is also getting it but he isn’t quite there yet. As for me. I get it and have for some time. What have I gotten?

While having a lot of stuff and money is nice, what is more important is being able to look in the mirror each day and knowing you are honest, trustworthy and someone another can count on to be there when they need you. At the end of the day, if you can look in that same mirror and say to yourself you did an honest day's work, if you don't lie, cheat or steal to get your stuff and money, you almost get it. 

Of course all that is easy for me to say since I ain't got a pot to pee in. But it is true. As I sat there I realized that it isn't the physical goods you leave behind, but it is your legacy. People won't remember that you had the newest electronic gadgets or the most toys, but they will remember how you treated them. They will look at how you brought up your children and whether you taught them right from wrong, taught them respect and if they are good people too.

This is really what it is all about. I look at my own family and as my aunts and uncles get on in years and have started to pass on or have become ill or suffer from dementia, I especially see the legacies they have or will leave behind. When this one or that one dies, what will be remembered? Will you remember the good or the bad? You would like to think you will only recall the good, but you won't if all you had were negative experiences or worse, no experiences at all.

So this is what it is all about. Whether you leave behind good or bad is up to you.