How a 9 Year Old Boy Leaves a Legacy

Family Legacy

How a 9 Year Old Boy Leaves a Legacy

by Bill High

Every now and then you get a glimpse of heaven. And your legacy.

I have a son-in-law, Phillip. He comes from a family of 13. His youngest brother, David, is 9 years old. On Wednesday, David was crossing the road to get the mail when he was hit by a pickup truck. He was killed instantly.

Yesterday, a celebration of David’s life was held. The family switched locations to allow for the expected crowd. More than 700 people filled the church as a witness to David’s life and his family. 700 people.

Mind you, these are ordinary people. John and Carole have carved out a life raising kids. John is not an executive of a corporation, the leader of a big company or someone who has achieved great headlines. He just smiles a lot as he leads the congregation of his family. Carole just loves and serves. They are known for that—serving.

In the memorial, David was described as “all boy, full-throttle, active, loud” and of course “always smiling.” One family described the loss of David this way, “David was my favorite because he always loved me and made me feel good.” His energy was contagious, and he was just hard not to like. That’s what they will miss the most.

You see even a 9 year old boy leaves a legacy. David was loved, and he loved others. He lived really well—with energy and gusto. He drained every single ounce out of his 9 years. And in David’s life, John and Carole see their legacy—a little boy who touched the lives of all around him.

Every day we write a little piece of our own legacy—in the way we live, in the way we encourage our children to live. Those little pieces become chapters and ultimately stories to be read by all.

Tug-O-War

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Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.
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Published December 15, 2015

Topics: Family Legacy

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Comments 2

  1. OOOooooo……Bill, your kind words overwhelm my heart. I hope this picture can be attached to the comment box. About 3 months ago, most of us went on a family camp out. One of our activities was a tug-O-war. David was ALWAYS about having the MOST fun (fun was his work, just like all boys). Most of the time (for David), having the MOST fun possible was more important than winning. In the tug-O-war, David chose to ride the rope….he had a free ride, and no matter WHO won, David was figuring that he was having the MOST fun! When Jesus said “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”, he might have been including that he wishes us to enjoy to the most the station in life to which He’s called us.

    Thanks again for your kind thoughts. –John

    Wellllll—-I can’t figure out how to attach the photo (maybe you’ve already seen it, anyhow). I’ll sent it to the email connected to this site.

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