Willie McMillan passed away yesterday. He was 95 years old.
You will not hear about his death on the news, but you probably should have. He was someone worth knowing.
I first met Willie in 1987 when I did a summer internship with the “Wawota Church of Christ”. He and his wife of 72 years, Marie, lived on a small farm on the edge of Moose Mountain Provincial Park. They did not have many material things, but they were happy and hospitable.
Even though he outlived most of his contemporaries, when word got out yesterday that he was gone, the tributes started pouring in. “Facebook” was filled with people’s favorite memories of Willie as young and old recalled the impact that he had on their lives. Words like; like, nice, fun, forgiving, humble, generous and friendly filled the computer screen. He was described as a “Godly man”, a “great example” and “a blessing”. Maybe the most telling thing was that most of the tributes did not refer to “Willie McMillan” but rather “Grandpa McMillan”.
Not surprisingly, no one mentioned the nice car Willie had in 1963 (if he had one). No one talked about the size of his bank account. No one spoke about how much land he owned, how well known he was or what his house looked like.
People did remember the fact that he went out of his way to encourage them. They remembered his faithfulness to his wife and to his beliefs. People remembered that they could count on him. People remembered how well he treated them.
Interestingly, in the twenty plus years that I knew Willie, I never remember him giving a sermon in church, or saying anything in front of a large group. Willie was a quiet and gentle man. He was not one that liked the spotlight and yet he still influenced the people around him. His actions spoke louder than his words.
Thinking about his legacy has reminded me to live in such a way that, in the end, I will have made a difference too.
What about you? When you get to the end of this life, what do you want people to say about you? What do you want them to remember? What are you living for right now? What will your legacy be?
As “Grandpa McMillan’s” life reminded me today, those are questions worth some thought.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
You will not hear about his death on the news, but you probably should have. He was someone worth knowing.
I first met Willie in 1987 when I did a summer internship with the “Wawota Church of Christ”. He and his wife of 72 years, Marie, lived on a small farm on the edge of Moose Mountain Provincial Park. They did not have many material things, but they were happy and hospitable.
Even though he outlived most of his contemporaries, when word got out yesterday that he was gone, the tributes started pouring in. “Facebook” was filled with people’s favorite memories of Willie as young and old recalled the impact that he had on their lives. Words like; like, nice, fun, forgiving, humble, generous and friendly filled the computer screen. He was described as a “Godly man”, a “great example” and “a blessing”. Maybe the most telling thing was that most of the tributes did not refer to “Willie McMillan” but rather “Grandpa McMillan”.
Not surprisingly, no one mentioned the nice car Willie had in 1963 (if he had one). No one talked about the size of his bank account. No one spoke about how much land he owned, how well known he was or what his house looked like.
People did remember the fact that he went out of his way to encourage them. They remembered his faithfulness to his wife and to his beliefs. People remembered that they could count on him. People remembered how well he treated them.
Interestingly, in the twenty plus years that I knew Willie, I never remember him giving a sermon in church, or saying anything in front of a large group. Willie was a quiet and gentle man. He was not one that liked the spotlight and yet he still influenced the people around him. His actions spoke louder than his words.
Thinking about his legacy has reminded me to live in such a way that, in the end, I will have made a difference too.
What about you? When you get to the end of this life, what do you want people to say about you? What do you want them to remember? What are you living for right now? What will your legacy be?
As “Grandpa McMillan’s” life reminded me today, those are questions worth some thought.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
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