It’s good to be appreciated. For a lesson I’m teaching later this week I’ll be using a profound song entitled “Legacy,” which was written and recorded by Nichole Nordeman. I’ll place a link for it at the end of the blog. (Wouldn’t want you to get distracted and not return to this page!)
Nordeman’s anointed words remind us to treasure what is truly important, and to consciously ponder the legacy we desire to leave when we’ve breathed our last. She acknowledges that it’s nice to receive praise, but suggests there is so much more to life. What follows is only a portion of her inspiring ballad.
I don’t mind if you’ve got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who’s who and so-n-so’s that used to be the best
At such’n’such . . . it wouldn’t matter much
I won’t lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an ‘’Atta boy’ or ‘’Atta girl’
But in the end I’d like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy
It’s in this context that I mention I’ve been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award. It’s nice that someone wanted to pat me on the back this way, and I like the title of the award, so I decided to accept it. I guess the confirmation of your acceptance (and the actual awarding of the accolade) happens automatically (but presumably not supernaturally) when you post seven points that illustrate your personal versatility. I’ll do that, momentarily.
The gifted C.S. Lewis was noted for his own versatility. Few other people have excelled in such diverse literary fields. Very few. Lewis was a brilliant author of fiction and nonfiction. He was a preeminent literary historian and critic. Much of his poetry was inspiring, although it never attained the measure he desired for it. He is also one of the most highly regarded Christian apologists of the twentieth century. He had few literary equals. Very few.
While Lewis was the recipient of various awards, and accepted them gracefully, he remained quite modest. (One of his most noteworthy honors came in the Carnegie Award, the United Kingdom’s highest honour for children’s literature.) The desire for accolades didn’t sway Lewis from his course.
Likewise, I’ll remain on my course, and not pursue awards or praise. That said, I am pleased to see so many people enjoying this modest blog. (Thank you all!)
Seven quick things about me:
1. I was Thespian of the Year my senior year in high school.
2. While stationed in the Republic of Korea during the 1988 Olympics I watched the United States fall before the Soviet Union in soccer.
3. Although I never played a musical instrument in high school, I joined the University of Washington Husky Marching Band while in college.
4. First car was a 1961 MGA sports car. I’m not quite as old as that sounds; it was already a classic when I got it. (Sure wish I still had it today.)
5. I wrote a Master’s Thesis on the Odes of Solomon, the first Christian hymnal.
6. I once served on a Christian conference committee with Jim Otto, the greatest center ever to play in the NFL.
7. Speaking of awards, in addition to Air Force and Joint medals, during my military career I also received medals from the United States Army and the United States Navy.
P.S. – I promised a link to a Nichole Nordeman’s ballad “Legacy.” Here it is: Legacy by Nichole Nordeman.
Mere Inkling Press 
Jim Otto was a great player, but as a life-long Steelers fan, I have to suggest that Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson were both pretty fine centers as well.
Congrats on the award! And thanks for the like on my post :) love me some C.S. Lewis! Just started reading “The lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” aloud to my daughter. Hope she and I can read through most of his works together.
Rob, thank you for visiting my blog! I, too, share a love for the Inklings and am very happy to have found your blog. I look forward to coming here regularly.
Also, I’m quite jealous you got to attend a USSR-USA soccer match. As a Russophile and soccer lover, I dream of attending a Russia-USA match someday.
I’m probably a Russophile too, with great sympathy for how the poor implementation of capitalism left so many destitute . . . As a lover of Russia(ns) you will enjoy how the game went. As I mentioned, the Soviets won the match. It was a preliminary round, and the early games were played throughout the peninsula. This game was played in Taegu/Daegu where I was stationed. As a chaplain, I “sponsored” about a dozen other folks from the Air Base (K-2 as it’s been known since the war). The thing that shocked me was how the majority of the Koreans at the game appeared to be cheering on the Soviets–rather than their American allies. A year in that lovely country provided me with perspective. Korea is a proud land with very gracious and hard-working people. In the eighties a generation unacquainted with the desperate straits of their nation during the war was maturing. Some of their words and actions suggested they were ungrateful to the Americans (a terrible embarrassment to their elders). I am convinced, however, that there was never any anti-American sentiment. What was being expressed was simply pro-Korean emotions. In summary, it was a normal, even healthy impulse, with an admittedly confusing presentation. Speaking of which, I’m exhausted, so my comment itself is probably pretty confusing. Decades later I maintain a deep love for the Korean people, and I have privileged to consider a number to be personal friends.
Appreciate your insight. Travel and talking to others is a real education – you’ve been fortunate to witness the world during periods of change
Nice ballad – and wish you still had that car, too.
Thank you for visiting, Rob, and liking my poem on imagination. It’s interesting to learn more about you here, and I’ll be following. God bless you as you serve Him!
Thanks for the Like on my post. Congratulations on your award, I am glad you were honored for your writings. I really appreciated your post, just reminds me that what we do on this earth happens in a very short span of time and is so temporal!