The Echo We Leave Behind

We are not the titles we carry,
Nor the endless tasks we complete,
But the courage we awaken in strangers,
And the hope we plant in those we meet.
For life is measured not by our achievements,
Nor by the applause that fades away,
But by the hearts that beat a little stronger,
Because we crossed their path one day.

Our purpose lives beyond our knowing,
In quiet places we may never see,
In someone who discovers their own strength,
Because we showed them who they could be.
And when our footsteps fade into silence,
When time has carried our names away,
The kindness we once scattered into the world
Will still be finding its way.