What does a Legacy Retreat “look” like?

What is the importance of a legacy? You might be wondering what Inheritance of Hope is all about…

A legacy can either be positive or negative.  We are all in the process of leaving a legacy – whether we have ever thought about it or not.  A legacy is something handed down by a predecessor.  It can be a legacy in the workplace or in a family or elsewhere.

16 families and 33 volunteers and staff from across the US took part in the most recent Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreat, June 25 – 28, 2011 in Orlando, FL.  Families, and those that served alike, left the weekend with renewed hope for the journey each is individually traveling.  People from all walks of life gathered together for four days with the common bond: a parent with children under 18 dealing with a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness.

A diagnosis such as this can throw a life and a family into a tail-spin.  Lives often are wrapped up in combatting the disease, and any type of normalcy in a family routine might disappear.

As far as I know, physical circumstances didn’t change after the weekend, but what did change was positional…many, if not every, participant was renewed to be on top of – not under – their circumstance.  Memories of hope and joy were taken home by the children and their parents (and the volunteers) … and each took home tools equipping them for great things despite any circumstance good or bad.  Strong legacies were nurtured.

I was truly privileged to be a part of this retreat… I gained so much more than I gave.  Lisa