This story is about LEGACY; those who came before us and upon whose shoulders we now stand. It’s also for those who come after us and to whom we pass the torch. I believe that families who intentionally create legacy with and for their family show us ‘what love looks like’. 

In the early 60s, Mother and Daddy made a courageous decision to invest all their savings to purchase family land located in Logansport, Louisiana, and Joaquin, Texas, their childhood homesites. It’s important to note that at the time of purchase, Daddy was supporting a family of four on approximately $12,000 per year as a union employee; subsequently, their decision to make such a significant purchase had to be difficult for them at that time. 

As a young teen, I recall frightening conversations around the dinner table when mother would implore daddy to please not invest all their savings into buying land. “What if we have a family crisis and need money?” she’d ask him. “If there’s an unexpected emergency, we may all starve to death!” As a kid, I found her questions very unsettling; the fear in her voice was palpable.  

However, daddy was unyielding in his firm belief that land ownership was the best investment available to them, coupled with the importance of preserving our family’s land. He’d often respond to her, “They’re not making any more land, Evelyn!” Initially, he recovered his investment plus seven times the principal by selling  timber off the land. Eventually, oil and gas companies leased the land for oil and natural gas exploration and production. These mineral resources provided them a comfortable income for the remainder of their lives. 

In addition to making courageous decisions, our parents were both genuinely happy and content within themselves and with each other. They treated each other with unconditional love and respect, lived each day with integrity and kindness to others. They consistently demonstrated how “rich” life can be if we can see beyond ‘the bottom line’ and choose to value family and add value to others with daily intention and purpose. 

Mother passed away in 2005 and Daddy in 2011. By then, my brother< Burt, and I had adopted the value of legacy-based decision-making. With long-range vision, we chose to clear-cut the timber and reinvest proceeds into creating a fresh tree farm on the entire tract of land in Louisiana. Like our parents before us, this intentional decision was  for the benefit of future generations. What a blessing our parents passed on to us by choosing to model love and legacy for us. They lived it; sacrificed for it; and found great JOY creating it. They indeed passed the torch. Today, it ranks at the top of our most important life lessons. Question: For whom are you serving as a model for living a life of significance with the intent to leave a valuable legacy?  -  Dr Dorothy Guy Bonvillain