Leaving a Legacy

I had the great opportunity of doing some good ol’ manual labor yesterday at work. I spent the afternoon by myself workin’ on our indoor climbing wall.  It was a little slow movin’ but I really enjoyed it, because it gave me the opportunity spend some time alone with my thoughts (which unfortunately doesn’t happen all that often) and of course it gave me a chance to catch up on some old podcasts.

Seeing as I am kind of obsessed with podcasts and subscribe to a ridiculous amount, I had a lot to listen to, from a fun and fascinating podcast  about the Muppets, to a live music session with the Cold War Kids, to an interview with Rosanne Cash done by NPR’s Terry Gross.   They were  all really fun and entertaining, but it was the Rosanne Cash interview that really stood out among the pack.  At the time of the interview, Rosanne had recently released her newest album, The List.  This record is a collection of cover songs that she selected and recorded from a list that her father, the legendary Johnny Cash, had given to her when she was just 18.  He recognized that his daughter was missing out on a good majority of the music that had influenced him, so he made a list of the ’100 essential country songs’ and gave it to her as a both a gift and a bit of a homework assignment.  What an incredible gift.

The rest of the afternoon,I found myself of how much I would have loved to receive a gift like that and how excited I am be able to pass on a list like that to my own children someday. Then I started thinking through what my list would be called and what songs I would put on it.  But then I thought back to a question that Gross had asked during the interview.  Terry pointed out the fact that the past several years had been rough on Rosanne, with the death of both of her parents and her stepmother June Carter and then she lost her voice for three years then to top it all off had to go through brain surgery.  “It’s been a rough period. And when people go through a rough time, I mean some people turn to religion, some people turn to drugs or alcohol, some people have nothing to turn to, some people are lost, some people find this inner strength…there were times in your father’s life when he turned to drugs or pills and, but through all his life, I think he had a sense of Jesus in his life….So what about you? (What) have you had that has kept you through all this?” To which Rosanne responds “I adhere to the religion of art and music and small children.”

Yeah it’s pretty awesome that Johnny was able to have such a great musical influence on his daughter.  The List is an incredible album.  I highly recommend it. Her cover of Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” is incredible and the duet she does with Springsteen on “Sea of Heartbreak” is breathtaking.   But unfortunately it won’t last.  As wonderful and powerful as music is, if she keeps looking to it alone for healing and comfort, she will eventually be let down.  I am still thrilled about that day that I get to pour hours into making the perfect Beach Boys mixtape for little boy or little girl to listen to while they go to bed.  But I am even more excited about the opportunity to spend every day sharing with my kids the love that Jesus has given to me.  And it is my hope that  rather than getting focused on grooming my child’s musical tastes that I will be able to pass on something much greater. So what kind of an impact are you going to have on your children?  And are you being intentional with what you pass on to them?