15 Minutes of Fame

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” You can’t choose the 15 minutes but why would you be world famous?

I wouldn’t be world famous…
I like my privacy and would prefer keeping my life out of the lime light at all costs. Every day we are exposed to the effects of fame on ordinary people who now live for our entertainment, ridicule and judgement. We praise them when they are doing good, but when they slip and make a mistake we crucify them.

My hope is not to have 15 minutes or a lifetime of fame, but to have a legacy of being someone who is hugely missed, of someone who has left a gap in the lives of those around them and of someone who lived a wholesome life. I’d like to be remembered as being compassionate, as someone who gave of myself to those I loved and cared for. I want to be known for the work I did in trying to improve the lives of those less fortunate than myself, in the passionate way I did my work to benefit others as I grew into someone who resembled the characteristics of my late grandmother, a woman I look up to with admiration.

My grandmother was well loved by friends, family, neighbours and even strangers as she never judged, never shied away from giving of her time, skills or love to those who needed it most. Even when lying in hospital, cancer eating away at her, hardly able to breath, no longer able to eat solid foods, she was more concerned for the wellbeing of other patients around her than herself. But then again, she had my mother by her side taking care of her needs as she took care of others.

My grandmother left behind a legacy I hope to be able to follow. I want to be a fair person who treats others with dignity, compassion, and love. I want to be known for someone who was always there to support those who needed it, for always lending a shoulder or an ear when it was necessary. I’d like to be remembered for being someone full of laughs, someone who always ensured everyone had a great time in their company. If I could die knowing I was leaving a legacy of being honest, generous and a faithful person I would know I achieved my goal.

But most importantly I’d like to leave this earth with the legacy of being a disciple, a fisher of men who lived like I was on location, living for whatever purpose God had for me…that would be my 15 minutes of fame and I’d die satisfied and happy.