Legacy, Lulee & the Live Oak Tree
September Reflections from Quinn
Three generations, one beginning.
This month, I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy — what we leave behind, and what really matters when we're gone.
I’ve always believed that our thoughts, values, and stories — if we take the time to write them down — can outlast us. But that idea hit me differently the day my first granddaughter, Lulee, was born.
Holding her, I felt the weight of the future — and this quiet little nudge inside: Do something that lasts.
Legacy isn’t always serious — sometimes it looks like this.
The Book I Was Meant to Write
So I did something I’d always wanted to do but kept putting off:
I wrote a book.
Writing it felt like I was finally doing what I was meant to do.
For the longest time, I held back — unsure of where to start, wondering if my words were enough. But once I got going, everything fell into place.
It felt natural — writing about our family, where we come from, and using that to share the values that matter most to me. The 5Fs aren’t just ideas. They’re how we live. And I want Lulee to grow up with them all around her.
She’s almost two — and every bit the story I hoped to tell.
A Gift Wrapped in Roots
The book’s called Lulee and the Family Tree.
It’s not just a bedtime story — it’s a piece of our family.
I gave it to her last Christmas, when she was nine months old. She was more excited about the wrapping paper than the book itself — crinkling it, tearing it, laughing the whole time. The book? Barely a glance. And honestly… that felt just right.
Now she’s almost two. A full Southern child through and through. Happy, wild, unstoppable. She hasn’t slowed down since.
But one day, when she’s ready to sit still for stories, I hope she’ll open that book and feel something familiar:
Love.
Roots.
And the quiet strength of where she comes from.
The 5Fs We Live By
The story takes her beneath a big oak tree by the Suwannee River — where she learns five values I hope will guide her as she grows. We call them the 5Fs:
🌱 Faith – the root of everything
🤝 Family – the trunk that holds us together
💰 Finance – the leaves that give us stability
💪 Fitness – the branches that keep us strong
🍎 Fulfillment – the fruit we grow and share
Each part of that tree means something.
Each “F” is something I’ve learned — sometimes the hard way — and now I want her to learn it too, in her own time and in her own way.
I didn’t give her a blueprint. I gave her our foundation — something we live by, something I trust will still be standing when she needs it most.
For Her, and Maybe for Others Too
I didn’t write this book to go viral. I wrote it for Lulee — but if it ends up in the hands and hearts of others along the way, that’s a blessing I’d welcome.
Because legacy isn’t just something we say.
It’s something we live.
And I pray she lives it well.
This book may have started as a gift for one little girl — but its roots are already stretching far beyond that, carrying the lessons of our family into hands and hearts I may never meet.
If you'd like to read it or share it with someone you love, just let me know.
I write one reflection like this each month — part stories, part legacy. If you'd like to follow along, you can subscribe to our newsletter and get each note delivered straight to your inbox like a letter from an old friend.
