Jude's Legacy...

He gets it.
He is fourteen and wise beyond his years. Always has been.
I can't tell you how many times I have often wondered how did I get so blessed to mother and parent this child. Both of them actually, but this post is all about Jude...

When Dr. Ben Carson was running for the presidency of the United States last November, he was my pick. I had read most of his books, was so intrigued by him as an individual and grew to appreciate just about all he had to offer. Some thought he was off on some of his line of thinking, but he wasn't for the conventional line of thought. And if you blindly follow, then you will think that those who don't are a bit off.
Either way, my research on him led me to his scholarship fund named CarsonsScholars. I had never heard of it but learned all I needed to know. And then I reached out to Jude's middle school (at this time, Jude was in the 8th grade) and inquired. They had never participated in this program, in fact they too had never heard of it, and didn't seem interested in pursuing it. However, in order for a student to get nominated, he or she has to have administrator assistance. Approval of the student's qualifications and recommendations have to be made. And since Page Middle wasn't interested, Jude was at a loss.

But I didn't forget.

The following summer as the school year was about to kick off, I took Luke and Jude to the high school to meet their new guidance counselor. Luke was a rising junior and Jude was a rising freshman. The standard ice breaker questions ensued and the obligatory meet and greet wrapped up and then I asked.
I asked if she was familiar with this program. I asked if she had ever heard of it. I asked if she was interested and if so, would she be willing to participate to help Jude...

All I did was ask.
The worse she could tell me was, No.

She had not heard of it, but was very interested and appeared to be more than willing. She then asked me to give her some time (scheduling changes for the first 2 weeks of school) and send her some link attachments so that she could read up on it some more.

I did. And she did.

By October, she was willing to move forward with nominating Jude as Page High's recipient of the Carson Scholars Fund. He completed all the required work that she asked of him, she then nominated him and by the first week of November he received the initial email from the Carson Scholars Fund staff. The first paragraph read as follows:

Congratulations, Jude Bowers!

You have been selected as your school's nominee to apply for the 2018 Carson Scholars Program. If you are selected as a Carson Scholar, you will receive a $1,000 scholarship towards college...

All I did was ask.

Now that Jude was Page High's nominee he still had some unfinished business to take care of in order to meet all the requirements. One was an essay. He was given the choice of two different questions. The one Jude selected was...

1. 'All good men and women must take responsibilities to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level that we could only imagine.' - Jim Rohn

Reflect on the legacy you want to create. Describe your legacy. How does it relate to future generations?

The following is his reply:

     Peter Strople once said, 'Legacy is not leaving something for people, it's leaving something in people.' I believe that it's not the material things you leave behind that mean the most, it's the lives you've touched. When I am gone, I want the legacy I leave behind to mean something in the lives of those I've come into contact with.

     I want to create a legacy that will impact those I've been around. I've made a lot of mistakes so far, and will continue to make them until I die. What I want is for the people who knew me to learn from and not make the same mistakes I did.

     Also, I want to be remembered as a kind, loving person who always tried to do the right thing. Success isn't about leaving lots of money behind, it's about doing the right things and having other people learn from you and having your influence affect them to do the right things too.

    What my legacy will mean for future generations is that hopefully my future family will learn from my mistakes and try to do the things I did right. I am a firm believer in the fact that actions speak louder than words. Hopefully when I am older I will get married and have a family. I can tell my kids my expectations of their behavior, but my actions in front of them will primarily determine how they behave. A leader is someone who leads by example.

     In conclusion, having a meaningful legacy isn't about the material things you leave behind. Many people think that you have to have a nice car, house, or a lot of money. I want to be remembered as someone who made an impact on people's lives, always tried to do the right thing, and always treated people right.   

Those that know Jude know all too well that his intentional desires written above play out every day in his life. He lives a life of kindness and goodness... full of love for others. He may not always instigate an engagement with others (we're working on that) to let them know he cares, but he truly does. And he lives a life of doing the right thing. He is very much an old soul in a young body living in a black and white world. Integrity is a word that often comes to mind when I think of Jude's character. The fact that he has learned, as most children do, that one's actions speak so much louder than one's words is powerful for his intentions.

Regardless of whether or not he actually wins and is recognized from the Carson Scholar's Fund as worthy, he is worth far more than any monetary value coming his way.

We will not take anything with us when we leave, but we can leave us behind...

What will your legacy be?