Legacy

About Arthur Ward

How do I write the legacy of a man who had so much more to give?  SO much more life to live and love to offer?  How do you sum up the legacy of such a giant of a man in a few sentences? 

If I must then I shall say that the legacy my Dad left behind is that of love and family.  He often told us that we were the only people in the world who mattered to him.  That nothing was more important than our family and those close friends he could count on one hand.  But he also taught us so much more.  He taught me that no man is better than I and that I am better than no man.  All of us are created equal whether we are paupers or presidents.  This gave me the gift of confidence and to ensure that I was intimidated by no person.  He told me I always had a home to come back to.  That no matter the mistake I made in life he was there along with my Mother to pick me up dust me off and help me to face the next challenge that life may present. 

For Teri-lyn he was her sounding board for major decisions and could often be heard saying "if you want my opinion its...even if we had not asked :).  He would tell us once what he thought and leave us to make our own choices.  He taught us to trust ourselves and have the confidence to face our decisions and to live with the consequences both positive and negative. 

He showed us just how much more love he had to give when we saw him with his constant sidekick, his darling Abby.  He took to be a 'Puppy" to Abby like a duck to water.  Honestly surprising us with how very much he adored and cherished his 'Mcgoo'. 

To our Mother he was her best friend and constant companion for nearly 50 years.  They did everything together and looked forward to their winter trip to Texas and Florida.  He loved Mom more than words can describe and was a doting husband.

His legacy was and is love.