Wisdom from George Patton's Family

One of our Legacy Consultants, Nancy Gale, sent us a great article from the June issue of Smithsonian Magazine by Benjamin Patton (General George Patton's grandson) contains this gem. The whole article is worth reading.

Every family has a story, and every member's story is worth preserving—certainly for the living family, but even more so for future generations. Experiencing history through the lens of another person's life can offer unexpected insight into your own. It gets you to think: What sort of mark will I make? How will I be remembered?

The key is to start now, whether with a tape recorder or video camera. In her wonderful book The Writing Life, Annie Dillard tells of a note found in Michelangelo's studio after he died. I have a copy pinned up in my office. Scribbled by the elderly artist to an apprentice, it reads: "Draw, Antonio, draw, Antonio, draw and do not waste time."