How Did You Try?

Years ago, I knew a man who spent countless weekends trying to teach his son how to work with his hands.

They built things together. They fixed things together. Sometimes the projects turned out beautifully.

Sometimes they didn't.

Years later, the son barely remembered the shelves they built or the things they repaired. But he remembered something much more important.

His father kept showing up.

His father was trying to teach him patience. Responsibility. Persistence. The satisfaction of doing a job well.

The real legacy wasn't what they built.

It was what the father was trying to build inside his son.

That makes me wonder:

How did you try to make the world a better place?

How did you try to help your children?

How did you try to help your grandchildren?

We spend much of our lives measuring ourselves by results.

Did I succeed?

Did I earn enough?

Did I accomplish what I wanted?

Did anyone notice?

But perhaps those aren't always the right questions.

Because some of the most meaningful things we attempt in life never receive applause.

Maybe you tried to hold a family together during difficult times.

Maybe you tried to teach your children the importance of honesty, hard work or faith.

Maybe you cared for someone who could never repay you.

Maybe you volunteered, coached, taught, encouraged, forgave or simply showed up when someone needed you.

Did everything work out exactly as you hoped?

Probably not.

That's life.

But there is something your children and grandchildren deserve to know:

What were you trying to do?

Tell them what you hoped for.

Tell them what you struggled with.

Tell them about the times you succeeded—and especially about the times you fell short and tried again.

Someday, one of your grandchildren may face the same struggle.

And perhaps your story will remind them that a meaningful life isn't measured only by what we accomplish.

Sometimes it is measured by what we cared enough to attempt.

So write that story.

Don't just tell your grandchildren what you did.

Tell them how you tried.

(AI assisted)