One of the legacy questions I ask is about describing your heritage and realizing that your heritage is someone else's legacy.  The definition of heritage I like best is "something that can be passed down from generations: A tradition." 

One remarkable aspect of my heritage was an emphasis on education.  At a time when high school education for young women wasn't a high value, both of my grandmothers received their high school diplomas.   In turn, these women instilled a respect for education in their families.  There was never any doubt that going to school was your "job" at least through high school. 

That respect was brought home to me at a family reunion a few years back.  I was speaking to a distant cousin who knew my mother but knew nothing of me or my brothers except that "one of them is a lawyer."   He said it with such awe that it took me a moment to realize that he was talking about me! 

Preserving heritage can be as simple as starting a family history book, or a blog like this one.

So now I ponder what my children will consider their heritage.  I'm sure it will include the Irish drinking songs their father taught them.  I also hope they think of books at bedtime, Christmas toy drives, and Thanksgiving dinners that always included people who were family but weren't related by blood.  I wouldn't complain if those were part of my legacy.