“Kevin Can Wait”
Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Heaven Can
Wait.”
It suggests that life is still worth living, that there is still something
important to do before we go.
But here at Merrill Gardens, perhaps we need a new phrase:
“Kevin Can Wait.”
Whatever Kevin represents, the television, the daily
routine, the distractions, the news of the day, all of that can wait.
What cannot wait is something far more important.
Each of us here carries a lifetime of experience. Each of us
has lived through decades of changes, wars, prosperity, hardship, technological
revolutions, personal triumphs, and disappointments. Each of us has learned
something about life that younger generations cannot yet know.
In other words, every resident here has wisdom.
And that wisdom deserves to be passed on.
Walk down any hallway at Merrill Gardens, and you pass a
lifetime of stories. There are lessons learned in business, in raising
families, in love, in loss, in courage, in failure, and in resilience. These
are not small things. These are the hard-earned insights of lives well lived.
But too often, those stories disappear.
Many of us were not given the gift of recorded wisdom from
our parents or grandparents. They lived remarkable lives, but they rarely wrote
things down. They rarely recorded their experiences. When they passed, their
wisdom passed with them.
How often have we thought:
"I wish I had asked him about that."
"I wish she had told me more."
"I wish I knew what they learned."
We have the opportunity and perhaps the obligation to change
that.
Passing on wisdom does not require writing a book. It does
not require literary skill or technical expertise. It can be simple.
Write a letter to your children.
Record a short video.
Write down a few life lessons.
Tell the story of your greatest mistake, and what you learned.
Explain what mattered most in your life.
These do not need to be perfect. They only need to be
honest.
Sometimes the simplest wisdom is the most powerful:
- Be
kind, it matters more than you think
- Time
moves faster than you expect
- Relationships
matter more than possessions
- Courage
is often quiet
- Integrity
always matters
These truths come only with time. And younger generations
need them.
Here at Merrill Gardens, we are uniquely positioned. This is
a community of experience. A community of reflection. A community filled with
people who have finally gained perspective.
Imagine if a groundswell began here, a quiet movement of
residents deciding to record their wisdom and pass it on. Not for fame. Not for
publication. Simply for family. For grandchildren. For the future.
What a remarkable legacy that would be.
It does not need to be formal. It does not need to be long.
It just needs to exist.
Because time does not wait.
Each of us has at least one thing worth saying.
Most of us have many.
So perhaps the gentle challenge is this:
Write it down.
Record it.
Pass it on.
Because someday, someone you love will be grateful that you
did.
And that is why, here at Merrill Gardens, we might say:
Heaven can wait.
But wisdom cannot.
And Kevin… can wait.
William James Spriggs
