Empathy & Legacy
Experience enlightens over years.
Our pain reveals our vulnerability.
Our empathy grows as others shed tears;
All members of the human family.
Recognition of our mortality
brings empathy for those we’ll leave behind.
We struggle to ensure our legacy,
remembered as accomplished, wise, and kind.
Advice may be ignored by those we love
who choose to make their own mistakes, their way.
Confronting consequences later proves
the wisdom of kind warnings made today.
It’s futile overthinking legacy.
We live our values; they tell our story!
Backstory
Approaching Age 77: Reflections on the Meaning of Life
A comment on a recent post, “Approaching Age 77: Reflections on the Meaning of Life” caused me to dig a little deeper. Laura Bruno Lily commented …”I am especially attuned to your poems, ‘Empathy’ and ‘Legacy’ in this moment.”As I wrote a response, my comment got longer and longer until it grew into this post. Thank you, Laura!
Over the last few years I have found myself becoming increasingly empathetic. At the same time, I realized that I have unwittingly been insensitive to others in the past. I guess that is the uncomfortable aspect of getting wiser as you age.
I remember, at the beginning of the Independent Living Movement, watching the news and seeing people demonstrating in Washington, DC for their civil rights. As a young working mother struggling in the workplace, I wondered why in the world they were so eager to work!
About a decade later, I moved to DC and became a 24/7 live-in caregiver for Drew Batavia, a young quadriplegic attorney who was active in the Independent Living Movement. I was there beside him every step of the way, traveling with him to conferences and speaking engagements domestically and internationally, documenting inaccessabe street crossings and businesses all over DC, proofreading articles and books.
Most of those years I was a fulltime student, and later, a fulltime teacher. After I became a teacher, I always continued to care for Drew on nights and weekends to give us a private life.
Seven years after meeting, we married, moved to Miami Beach, and adopted a Russian brother and sister. Drew and I shared eighteen years together before Drew died at the age of forty-two.
Concern with legacy is a recognition of our mortality, but recognition of mortality also results in increasing empathy for those we may leave behind.We wish to shield them from making some of the same mistakes we have made, knowing full well that we must all make our own mistakes and learn from them. Still, it’s always worth a try!
I remember my grandfather, when I was in high school. He took me to practice driving in a parking lot in his huge, ten-year-old, metallic baby blue Cadillac. Wanting to protect me from making mistakes, he shared some of his regrets. I cherish those precious times spent with Grandpa, but ultimately, I still had to make my own mistakes.
If you can benefit from the mistakes of others, especially when you are young, I think you are pretty smart! I also believe you are truly exceptional!
Copyright© 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
Please share in the comments. What values are most important to you right now ?
Gulf Coast Poet 
Thank you so much, dear Cheryl, for your beautiful poem and the words of wisdom. Like most people, I didn’t follow advice given and came to regret it later.
Joanna
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Joanna, thank you for your thoughtful reply. Maybe ignoring good advice when we are young is a rite of passage. Hope you are enjoying your weekend! 💕
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Thank you, Cheryl, for your kind reply!
Joanna x
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I may not have followed advice from from my parents, but it always niggled at the back of my mind until I realised they may have a good point. 😊 Beautiful poem Cheryl
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Thank you, Maggie, for sharing that all-to-familiar experience. I believe we’re all in this together! Glad you enjoyed the poem. A beautiful weekend to you and Richard !💕
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Cheryl, what a touching and thought provoking post. Important values for me are kindness, caring for others, and empathy. A important skill that goes along with that is listening.
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Thank you for your kind words, Pepper. Listening is so important for communication and for learning, and not listening can be very rude and results in many problems. Thank you for mentioning listening. 💕
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I’ve learned, as you have, that empathy comes with our lived experiences. I agree with the sentiment expressed in the final two verses of your poem: “It’s futile overthinking legacy. / We live our values; they tell our story!” Though they don’t agree with me on many issues affecting our times, my sons demonstrate that they share my values of caring for others and treating them with kindness.
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Rosaliene, Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful reply.💕
I am glad you like those two lines. I rewrote them several times trying to find the right balance between working toward worthy goals and a narcissistic obsession with legacy.
I know you must be very proud of your sons who share with you the values of kindness and caring for others. I am also proud of my children for the very same reason.
Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend! 🌻🦋🌹
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This weekend, I’m enjoying the finals of the FIFA World Cup 🙂 ❤
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A beautiful and insightful piece. Over the years, we learn that empathy stems from our experiences and that the greatest legacy isn’t words, but how we treat others. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
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Thank you so much, Lincol, for your wise, kind words. You have beautifully expressed this truth in a few well-chosen words! 💕
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What a lovely and insightful post, Cheryl. The most important values to me are mindfulness, empathy, and respect. 💗😊
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Thank you , Eugi, for sharing your most important values. Those are all winners in my opinion! They lead to good relationships in all aspects of life. 💕😊
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Most welcome, Cheryl. 💗
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What a great follow up post, Cheryl. I’m honored to have been an inspirational prod in the furthering of your thoughts being put to the page. You are part of what makes this world a better place…you live love. hugs
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Hugs to you, Laura! Thank you for for your kind words. I am happy you like the follow-up post. Your insightful comments are always deeply appreciated. I do try to live by my values, though I don’t always succeed. I am sure you do the same.
Hope you are having a very peaceful and blissful weekend! 🌹💝🌈
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This is so beautiful and profound!
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Thank you, Lairai! Glad you enjoyed the post! 💕 Hope you are having a joyful day!
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What a touching and thought provoking post, Cheryl! What appealed to me most was the concluding lines – It’s futile overthinking legacy.
We live our values; they tell our story.🙏🌼💗
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