The event that got me to thinking about legacy and the transfer of wisdom occurred a good number of years ago when my father was still alive. My wife and I, along with my father, were visiting my mother in law and her husband at their home. My father was sharing with us that his relatives were pushing him to write up his life history. He was dismissing it as an effort with little reward because no one would long be much interested in it. My mother in law, with her tongue firmly placed in her cheek, said, “Sam, why do you want to leave all of your wealth and none of your charm?” My Dad could be charming, if he wanted to, but he could also be irascible which he was being at the moment. And my mother in law had the talent of a quick mind and the ability to place a well directed jib when it was available to her. My Dad gave her an opening and she took it!

But it got me thinking. My Dad’s family has extensive Mormon roots going all the way back to the beginnings of the church. I have in my possession many journals and personal histories going back at least three generations. My Dad eventually wrote and recorded his history. But like all the others it covers mostly events, places and people but it doesn’t draw any lessons learned. I know a lot about Who, What, Where, When and How but almost nothing about Why things happened or what was learned from all of this; no Wisdom was filtered out of all of the history that was shared.

I have often thought about all of the great learning and teaching opportunities that have been missed. Fortunately there is a growing movement afoot today to encourage people to not only share their life history with succeeding generations but the wisdom they have accrued during their lifetime. And there seems to be a growing interest and motivation to do so. I hope this section of the Getting Older Happens will help further that interest and motivation in everyone who spends some time here by giving you the tools and insights you need to leave a legacy of wisdom.

Progressing through life is much like climbing a mountain side. The further up we go, the more we see and the greater our perspective. How many times can you, with great certainty, anticipate the consequence of an action about to be taken by you or a loved one just because of your perspective based upon your life’s experiences? Why not find a way to share this perspective with your closest loved ones and succeeding generations?