A Legacy of Vision and Purpose

 

My twenty-two year old niece Montgomery passed away last week. So sudden. So unexpected. When I heard the news, I could not comprehend it. “Montgomery?” I said to my husband as he sat in a crumpled heap on the very spot of sidewalk where he was once standing when he received the call. He could only nod his head “yes” through the tears and cries of pain that had overtaken his body.

My mind began to race. “How can this be? She’s too young! What happened? Maybe I didn’t hear that right…” I thought back to that early morning phone call we had received years ago announcing her safe arrival into the world. Her daddy’s voice was bursting with pride as we were jolted out of our sleep. Now we were being jolted once again.



 

I wandered through the next hours and days in a bewildered state of shock. We learned that Montgomery had a congenital heart defect that had gone undetected. Her young heart had simply given out that morning. Most people who are born with this issue often do not live past their first birthday. How fortunate and blessed we were to have her for as long as we did.

 

Memories flooded my mind as the tears flooded my eyes.  We had shared so much together. Laughing, playing, singing silly songs, talking about life, lots of hugs, and all of those precious times we spent praying together.  I began to wonder…Did she know how much I really loved her? Did she know how proud I was of her? I sure hope that she did.



As we entered the church on Saturday for her Celebration of Life service, we were given a leaflet that included some pictures and basic information about her life. Also included were some words that Montgomery had written in her journal. She had written out her personal vision, a contract that outlined how she wanted to live her life. Here are her words:

I promise…

to go into every situation with an open heart and mind

to mean what I say and say what I mean

to learn to calmly stand up for myself

to be grateful everyday of all of the miracles in my life

to give light and love in everything I do

to meditate everyday

to put myself in other people’s shoes once in a while

to laugh everyday so I don’t forget how

to smile at myself in the mirror and love myself

to not forget where I have been

to know how I got to where I am now

to hold my ground when I truly think something isn’t right

to realize when I am wrong and to apologize sincerely

to learn something new everyday

to use my creative mind so it doesn’t go to waste

to know when I can help someone else

to remember why I don’t want to live the way I used to

to love my changes

to give good vibes to the world

to live and love simply

to eventually change the world

to love my life

What a tremendous gift those words are to me and all who would read them! She set out to live her life with vision and purpose, resolved to be the best possible version of herself she could be.  As we honor her memory, I pray that we all will approach each new day we are given with intention, passionately pursuing the purpose that God has placed within each of us.

Montgomery’s light continues to shine through her darling little daughter and her impact will be felt for years to come. She said that she wanted “to eventually change the world.” She already did.