Sunday, October 18, 2009

Leaving a Legacy of Love

The world recently lost a great man - Jesse H. Oppenheimer. Mr. O., as he was known, walked through life with such self-confidence and assurance you couldn't help but know him. Never wavering from his beliefs, he was as authentic as they came.

Five years ago, when I began with the law firm where I am currently employed, I talked with many of its attorneys. I was working on a marketing assessment report and wanted to hear from "the people" about the business landscape of our firm. What had worked - what had not - and where did the "the people" feel the firm should head. As the founder of our firm Jesse was, of course, at the top of my list. From the first time I met him, it was clear he knew how to make people feel welcomed. He had a willing heart to share all he knew.

With a world filled with so many lost souls struggling to find their moral center and purpose in life, how does one like Mr. O. find his with such incredible accuracy and confidence? In time and after many talks in one of our offices, I realized what made me enjoy his stories about life and our conversations together. Mr. O. believed we were here to just do the right thing. If you knew someone was hungry, then feed them. If you knew a fellow co-worker was having a tough time on a project - then lend them a hand. If you knew your client needed the best solution possible for their situation - then work hard to determine what it was and then get it to them promptly.

Jesse always made it seem like it was just that simple. Nike apparently does as well since they built an entire brand on the slogan "Just Do It." But what about God? What does He say? We are told that one of the greatest commandments is to do on to others as you would have done to you. So if I want someone to care when I'm struggling then I should stop and care when others are also struggling. If I found myself in financial trouble for the first time in my life, as so many Americans are today, then I would want someone to realize that even the best of families could have unexpected circumstances rock their world.

We weren't brought into this world to walk it alone. Instead, we were meant to help one another along. What if the world as a whole thought a little less about itself and started feeling a little more about others? How many of the world's problems would be eradicated? I believe that we would experience change on a global scale that would prove to all of us that men like Jesse H. Oppenheimer were never meant to be a rarity. They were meant to serve as an example of what we all should be - builders of legacies formed out of love.
Photography Credits: aliaydogmus35