My Grandfather's Legacy



On July 2, 2017, my last living grandparent Elmore Bell, Sr. passed away at the age of 94.  Born in 1923 his eyes were filled with wisdom.  During his later years as his voice began to dim the wisdom of his words increased in value.  At his funeral, my cousin and I had a conversation detailing what being a man in our family meant and what it will mean moving forward.  During our conversation, the weight of his legacy rested on my shoulders.  He made sure we know who we are, where we come from, and where we are expected to go.  We also know the road ahead won't be easy but the expectation is for us to get to the destination regardless.

My grandfather set the standard for men in our lineage high.  He was married to the same woman for 52 years, managed to put all his children through college, and lived long enough to see 10 of his great-grandchildren!  The family was a priority for him.  He left his hometown and decided to settle in Jacksonville, FL.  Once he settled a few of his brothers decided to follow suit.  They made Jacksonville their home carving out space to work and create a life for themselves.  He also believed in community. Over the many decades he lived he not only invested in his family he invested in his community as a whole whether is was through a warm meal, word of encouragement, or a helping hand.  My grandfather managed to stretch the boundaries of the family to include more than relatives.



In my opinion, one of the most valuable things he left me is the path he blazed.  I believe it's the duty of his dependents to carry the family legacy forward.  I've met so many people (men and women) who don't know who they are and as a result, they allow others to define them and place false value on them as well.  I know because at one point in my life I had no clue who I was.  As a result, my decision-making process could be categorized as reckless.  I didn't consider the repercussions on life much less on the family name and my community as a whole.  Once I began to gradually understand who I was and the expectations of my life I began to think differently which ultimately led to a different set of actions.



In conclusion, I'll say his passing left me with a huge sense of responsibility.  I know the stock that I come from, and I am fully aware of what it will mean moving forward.  It means I'm expected to lay any excuse that may enter my mind to the side and continue to make progress towards my goal.  It means I must meet the needs of my family spiritually, financially and emotionally.  I'm also reminded of the importance of men, in general, being trailblazers and standing for something.

Comments

  1. Inspiring! A great call to action post. #legacygoals

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do you need an urgent blank ATM CARD to solve your financial needs, and i just want to tell the world my experience with everyone. i discovered a hacking guy called Christopher. he is really good at what he is doing, i inquired about the BLANK ATM CARD. if it works or even Exist, than i gave it a try and asked for the card and agreed to their terms and conditions. three days later i received my card and tried it with the closest ATM machine close to me, to my greatest surprise it worked like magic. i was able to withdraw up to 6000 dollars. This was unbelievable and the happiest day of my life. there is no ATM MACHINES this BLANK ATM CARD CANNOT penetrate into it because it have been programmed with various tools and software. it impossible for the CCTV to detect you i don't know why i am posting this here, i just felt this might help those of us in need of financial stability. Christopher have really change my life. if you want to contact them, HERE is the email address: (blankatmcard661@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I got my already programmed and blanked ATM card to withdraw the maximum of $1,000 daily for a maximum of 20 days. I am so happy about this because i got mine last week and I have used it to get $20,000. Mike Fisher Hackers is giving out the card just to help the poor and needy though it is illegal but it is something nice and he is not like other scam pretending to have the blank ATM cards. And no one gets caught when using the card. get yours from Mike Fisher Hackers today! *email cyberhackingcompany@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This year has been so blissful to me for God has given me a reason to live happily again after been heart broken for 3 months when my husband neglected me and went back to his mistress. I suffered and went through all types of emotional tortures for i couldn't get any help to get my man back not until i was refereed to Robinson Buckler by my co-worker. I got in touch with Robinson Buckler and i took to his words and followed the instructions given to me by him. Could you believe that my husband got back home within 12 hours as said by him, my marriage is restored & i'm so thankful, appreciative & grateful to God for using..... https:// r o b i n b u c k l e r. com….... robinsonbucler@gmail.com to bring my man back …^*"*

    ———————————————————————————————————————–

    Thank you so much!! xoxo


    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Year, New Direction 2017

Happy Father's Day 2018