Half Over


On Tuesday I saw a friend in the grocery aisle and she lamented that life needed to slow down. 

Back home while unpacking my groceries, I looked at June 30th on the calendar and realized the year was half over. 

Later, I read a pastor’s blog and he said we’re all looking for longevity—to live many years and be remembered well. 

 Sure, while I run around doing errands, let me find time for a legacy.





The following morning while doing my workout, someone on TV was talking about Alfred Nobel.

The elderly Nobel was perusing the morning newspaper and was shocked to read his own obituary (actually, his brother had died, but the reporter thought it was Alfred). 

The writer credited Alfred Nobel as the inventor of dynamite—making it possible for more men than ever before to be killed in war. The obituary said his invention had made him incredibly wealthy.




Putting the paper down, Nobel pondered his life and how he wanted to be remembered—it certainly wasn’t the way his “obituary” had been written.  

He decided to use his vast wealth (in 1896, it was 31 million dollars) and set it aside to honor those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind” in science, literature, or world peace. 

Nobel later said, that “Contentment is the only real wealth.”











I agree. Contentment is worth more than money ever will.

Contentment isn’t found in things, but in sharing time with others in special ways. 

And as far as a legacy goes, wonderful memories are an incredible gift to leave behind.

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