What Is A Life Well Lived?

argue. Maybe not your typical grandson-grandmother relationship, but that was us.

As I watched her fade, I pondered the meaning of the word legacy. What constitutes a life well lived?

Kings build buildings, authors create characters, and scientists make breakthroughs, all in the hopes that what they did might outlive their mortal bodies.

By those standards, my grandma fell short. She won’t be mentioned in history books, and no buildings will be named after her. But I would argue that my grandma’s legacy towers over the trivial achievements of rulers and the eroding possessions of billionaires.

In those last days of her life, the words of Solomon lingered in my mind:

“I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.” - Ecclesiastes 1:14

As I watched my grandma struggle for her breath, I was struck by a thought: her legacy is not under the sun. Her treasure is the three generations who canceled meetings, changed plans, and sat by her bedside. Some cooked, others told jokes, and we all grieved the decline of the matriarch.

This is not normal. Our world glorifies youth and discards the elderly like inconveniences. Most people die alone.

But not Joanie. Her reward is heaven. Her legacy is the intense, energetic, Jesus-loving family who dropped everything to hold her hand as she was reunited with Bud (her husband, my grandpa) and stepped into the waiting arms of the One who made her.

Her personality, love, and Mentos (endlessly distributed to her adoring great grandkids) will be missed, but her legacy is massive and inspiring. And in the words of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

You ran the race well, Grandma. I look forward to arguing with you in heaven.

Love,
Ben

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