What Would They Remember?

I watch entirely too much "Disappeared".

Why do I say that?
Because now I go through my day thinking in terms of
what people would say about me if they were interviewing
my friends in family
in the event that I'd gone AWOL.

What do I mean by that?
When things are slow and I have time to think,
I think about what I have going on in my life.
Church involvement.
My job.
Volunteer work.
Friends I keep up with.
Social responsibilities.
Hobbies.
Places I love to go.
Things I love to do.

In the Disappeared show, the person featured in the episode-
the missing person-
gets their life described by their family.
Especially the parts leading up to the disappearance.
They are only allowed to say good or neutral things for the most part.
"She loved her children. They were the world to her"
"She loved to shop. She wouldn't skip her job because she needed money to shop"
"He loved coming home to see us."
"He was saving up for a new car because his was falling apart."

These facts usually pertain to the disappearance.

"She wouldn't ever leave them voluntarily"
"She wouldn't ever just not show up to work without calling"
"He was supposed to be with us that weekend and he never showed up"
"The car was found broken down on the side of the highway"

But regardless of what the facts about a person lead up to on each episode,
I look at the family laughing and crying as they describe their missing loved one,
and I see a celebration of their life and who they are and who they were.

So what if I disappeared?
I wasn't planning on it. But what if something unforseen happened to me
or God willed me to go to heaven right in the next few months?
What would people remember me by?
I'd like to think they'd only say good things, though realistically
there is probably someone somewhere who would say something
about me having been annoying.
But my parents, my friends, my church...
I'd want to think they could celebrate my life.

Here's what I'd want them to remember:
"She loved to go to church, and God was important to her. Faith was important to her."
"She volunteered alot. It wasn't uncommon for her
to cook meals for 80 in her own kitchen, often by herself."
"She loved to shop. She loved fashion."
"She liked to help people."
"She was always home for the holidays and was usually mindful to call or text regularly"
"She always came to work and never made excuses"
"She tried to befriend people."
"She loved to live by the ocean"
"She was creative. Very very creative"
"She made people laugh."
"She really wanted to get married and settle down. She was faithful to the man in her life"
"She was fairly responsible. She had a clean record."

I'd want to think that's what they'd say.
You just never know what the future holds.
In Christianity they say "lead by example", meaning you should encourage others
to follow God and follow faith by doing so yourself,
so they see what you do and try to follow.
Actions speak louder than words.

From this angle, it takes on a whole new meaning.
If I'd want to be remembered as a Christian,
as a believer in God, a follower of Christ
or at least a little bit of light in this world,
it would be the types of actions that lead to conclusions like the ones above.
It would be my dedication to family, church, friendships, work and most of all
God.

Hopefully, someone would want what I started to live on
through others.