Legacy 52

Outwardly poised, elegant, and stylish, Princess Diana also demonstrated tremendous resilience, warmth, and compassion during her lifetime. While her short life of 36 years may not have been the fairy-tale often imagined for the life of a princess, she certainly left a lasting legacy.

Bees are struggling as a species. Until recently, I had no idea how important bees are for the health of many ecosystems, nor was I aware of the wide diversity of bee species. Like most people, I’ve swatted away any bee that ventured into my personal space, driven by fear of getting stung. After reading about their plight, however, I am now inviting them to share my backyard by planting bee friendly flowers and offering them prime real estate in the form of a bee condo.

As parents, it was always our intention to raise our children to become strong, independent people, capable of walking into the world as contributing members of society. It’s been delightful to watch both of our children grow into fine adults – each of them have made us proud many times over.

In 1950, Mother Teresa created the ‘Missionaries of Charity’, a Catholic sisterhood dedicated to serving in the slums of Calcutta. Mother Teresa saw this ministry as a way to care for “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” Her leadership and tireless charitable work positively impacted many lives for which she was recognized in 1979, when she won the Nobel Peace Prize. She died in 1997, but Mother Teresa’s legacy and influence upon the world was only just beginning.

As the first Canadian female astronaut and neurologist in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar is a pioneer in many ways and her legacy is far reaching.

Emily Carr is a Canadian icon, known mostly for her colourful paintings depicting landscapes and aboriginal scenes from the west coast. She was also a writer, and I am inspired by her words as much as her paintings. Her legacy comes to mind whenever I begin to doubt myself as an artist. I re-read the quotes above and let their meaning soak into my being.

Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate ‘Renaissance Man’. He had a dazzling array of interests, skills, and talents.

As an artist, da Vinci is chiefly known for painting iconic masterpieces such as ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’. He was also adept in the fields of architecture, bridge design, astronomy, technology, mathematics, water flow, skeletal anatomy, the heart, optics, botany, birds, geology, fossils, horses, weaponry, and map-making!

With less than 1,800 giant pandas left in the wild and given their extremely low birth rate by natural means, captive breeding programs are vital in order to sustain the panda population.

‘Nature First’ is a legacy project. It’s a grassroots, not-for-profit society with the goal of conserving natural habitats within the boundaries of the developing city of Airdrie, Alberta. The “boss” they are working for has been identified as an eight-year-old child living in the area 40 years from now. Working for future generations, and a boss who has yet to be born, is one of the best definitions of a legacy, as I see it.

“I thought of nothing but the novelty, the excitement, and the fun of this mad ride in the glorious sunshine and intoxicating air.”

I love the story of the journey by rail that was taken in 1886 by the first prime minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald and his wife, Lady Agnes.