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In this episode I’m answering the big question of how can a man leave a legacy to future generations.
Let me tell you a Story
I loved it when traffic came to a stop because a train was coming through my little hometown of Athens Alabama. I’d sit in the front seat mesmerized as the cars of the train flashed by in front of me. Boxcars, coal cars, and flatbed cars.
But I was looking for one particular car in the train, the caboose. Whenever it passed I’d strain to see who was riding in the caboose and think what’s his job, why does he get to ride in the caboose?
Later on in life I discovered that most of the time the guy riding in the caboose was a brakeman.
Now the job of a brakeman goes all the way back to when trains first started running. Back then each car a locomotive was pulling had its own brake that was controlled by a wheel on TOP of the car. The brakeman’s job was to hop from car to car applying the brakes as needed.
Later on air brakes were developed. This meant all of the brakes on a train could be operated from one location and that’s what the guy in the caboose was doing. The engineer would let him know when he needed more brakes and the brakeman would hit the switch. Other than that, he spent his time just riding and monitoring how the train was making the trip. Mile after mile. Day after day. No internet. No cell phones.
So how do you pass the time if you’re a brakeman? One brakeman named JB Camp read books. Not just any books but novels by Louis L’Amour. It was a good thing JB chose him because not only was L’Amour an outstanding writer, he wrote over 100 novels in his career.
So JB never ran out of new books.
JB was also a man who never wasted anything. Folks like him who grew up during the Depression had so little as kids, they appreciated everything they had as adults. That’s why JB kept the books after he finished reading them. In fact, he kept all the books he read while working on the Union Pacific Railroad for 40 years.
OK, so some old guy kept a bunch of books, big deal. Well, I told you that story to tell you this one.
JB’s grandson Tim discovered the boxes full of his books right around the time he became a father of four boys. So Tim got an idea, he’d read the books to his sons as bedtime stories. He figured it would be a great way to entertain and connect his boys to the great-grandfather they never knew.
L’Amour’s books are perfect books for little boys because they’re exciting stories about cowboys. They also teach the basics of true masculinity. The men in his books kept their word, protected those who couldn’t protect themselves, and weren’t afraid of hard work.
When JB was reading those books while riding thousands of miles in a caboose, he had no way of knowing he was building a legacy that would impact future generations of his family.
So if you’re the guy asking the big question of how can you leave a legacy, don’t constrain yourself to thinking only about money or land. A lasting legacy is a lifestyle.
The legacy I want to leave is 9 simple words; do what’s right, do my best, put others first. I’m preserving and passing on that legacy by writing, speaking and this podcast. This means that even though I won’t get to spend time with my great grandchildren, they’ll be able to hear my voice and learn what was important to me.
So examine the things you do that can be your legacy. Is there a series of books you read like JB? Do you practice your faith? Are you active in your community?
All of those are a legacy you can pass on. Which means that even if your bank balance is $0.00 on the day you die, you will have left a legacy that will impact the world in a more significant way than an overflowing bank account.
PS
I have a toolbox that belonged to my father-in-law that I plan on passing on to my grandson, along with stories about the man who’s name is on it. He left a legacy of kindness, gentleness, and strength that I hope my grandson will carry on.