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| Burnidge Forest Preserve once was a largely grassy pastureland that was the playground upon which my neighbors and I played. | Ted Schnell |
Former neighbor's death recalls a great place to grow up, a remarkable legacy
The legacy you leave behind is reflected, I think, in the
quality of the people who loved you, knew you, respected you.
I write this not as I look back on my own life per se,
although I find myself doing that a fair amount these days. I am at an age when
men often do look back. I weight my failings against my accomplishment, all the
while wondering such things as:
- Have I changed the world as I once imagined I could?
- What kind of legacy will I leave?
- In a hundred years, will the way I lived, loved, worked, and believed have any relevance to anyone?
Ultimately, I suppose, it boils down to, “Will I have made a
difference?”
I ponder these things once again just a day after attending
a wake on Tuesday afternoon, May 27, 2014, for Phyllis O’Rourke, a St. Charles
woman and former longtime Elgin resident.
