Thursday, February 19, 2015

A Legacy In Stories by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli
As my family mourns the loss of my great-grandmother this week, I’m dwelling a bit on legacies.

My great-grandmother left us with memories of a beautiful life. She was a caring wife, mother, daughter, and sister. She was even one of the first women recognized to wear—gasp—pants in the workplace!

My great-grandmother was also an artist. She painted gorgeous pictures. After she passed, it became incredibly important that I possess one of these creations. Whatever painting I receive will have a small piece of my great-grandmother hidden in each brushstroke. At one moment in time, the painting was her sole focus, her creative passion. In having one of her paintings, I will have a precious bit of my grandmother’s life.

I often think about the kind of legacy I want to leave. Above all, I want to be known as a woman who loved well. A woman who loved her Creator and Savior, a woman who loved her husband, her kids, her family, and her friends. But it doesn’t have to end there. As a writer, I can leave another type of legacy.

A legacy of stories.

One day my great-granddaughter could read my stories and in doing so, possess a piece of me. I think that’s one of the reasons I’m so adamant about writing real, about writing truth, even if it takes some ugliness to get there.

I want to leave my own legacy, told in stories, that can reveal a truth about myself, and a truth bigger than myself.

How awesome an opportunity us writers have!


What kind of legacy in stories do you want to leave?

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Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.