What is YOUR legacy?

I am not the person I planned on being...  

I had big plans, lots of dreams...  

there were so many people I wanted to be...  

a paleontologist...  

an architect...  

an author...  

a teacher...  

a lawyer... 

a psychologist... 

I was going to go to college...and finish, get that diploma!

I was going to marry by 24 so that I would have my first child at 25.

I was going to be done having children by the age of 30 and then really focus on my career.

I was going to be appreciated for my intellect.

I was going to make my mark on the world in some way that would be a true legacy.

Of course, this was all in my head.  What I thought I could do if everything just went according to plan...but plans change.  Life is like that.  Sometimes it's happenstance...and sometimes I believe it's God at work.

I am not a college graduate...I started and left...and started again...and left again.

I didn't marry by 25...I was a couple of years late on that one.

I had my first child at 21...and, gasp, out of wedlock!

I did have my last child at 30...so take that!  That's one for me, suckers.

I am appreciated for making sure underwear is washed and cookies are stocked.

I haven't made a mark on the world in the way that I intended.

I am not a paleontologist...but I can answer all sorts of questions about dinosaurs for my eight year old son.

I am not a lawyer...but still find joy in a good argument and making sure I have my say.

I am not a teacher...but I am a mother, and I have a chance to teach my kiddos something new all the time.

I am not an author...but I have internet access and this blog, and that will do(for now).

My legacy will not be a book that defines a generation...a discovery in Montana that changes the face of what we know about dinosaurs...or designing the world's most beautiful skyscraper.  Ah, how that pains me...

Instead, I am married to a man that loves me for me....bitchy, lazy about mopping and cleaning toilets, prone to trying recipes that totally tank, un-skinny, and unwilling to dye my grays(or nature's highlights, as I call them).  He is a nut and annoying...and all mine and worth the wait.

I have wonderful children that drive me crazy and make me laugh.  My babies are my pride and joy.  They are strong willed and funny and so unique in so many ways.  One is a completely wacky, offbeat, insane teenager who is so atypical of his age, it's a blessing...my eight year old is riddled with odd little obsessive/compulsive habits, wonderful artistic talent, and soaks in knowledge like I breathe air...my six year old baby girl is a little fashionista that wears as many pieces of clothing and jewelry as she can, with a sweet little heart underneath all her sass.

And THAT is my legacy, in the end.  The family I have created.  THEY will change the world someday...and maybe it will just be that they have a family of their own.  And that is good enough for me.