No two fingerprints are the same. We all leave fingerprints, and we all are impacted by the fingerprints of others. While fingerprints can be cleaned off, the fact that a person left fingerprints cannot. When we wash a child’s toy, we wipe off their fingerprints. Yet years go by, and we find it hard to let go of the toy. Why? Because someone we love touched it.

Fingerprints leave memories and stay with us long after the physical evidence has faded. A person’s impact and influence continue long after they are no longer with us. Even people we have never met leave fingerprints: a book, a song, a building, a business…the list goes on. On my desk is a book of daily devotions by Emmet Fox. I never met Dr. Fox. Yet each day with the reading of a devotion from the book, his fingerprints are on me.

I was recently at an event where a pianist was playing. As I listened, memories of my aunt Mil came to mind. At family gatherings, she would play the piano. My mother would sing. My cousin Leonard would play the guitar, and my uncle George was on the snare drum. Aunt Mil’s fingerprints are all over my life. She was a second mother. I would share things with her that I did not share with anyone else. Each of the four people mentioned is no longer with us physically, but they are still alive in their impact. Their fingerprints remain.

The great college basketball coach John Wooden was married to Nell for decades. When she passed, he went into a deep depression. One day he was watching his grandchildren play, and he realized that, in a way, Nell was living through them. It helped him move forward. He felt sadness still; however, the deep depression lifted.

In my books and talks, I often share stories of people whose lives bear the fingerprints of teachers, coaches, supervisors, coworkers, and others. We are all a combination of the influences and impact of those around us.

The name Jack Fetterman came up the other day. Vice Admiral Fetterman, who passed away some time back, left fingerprints all over Pensacola, from the National Naval Aviation Museum, to the National Flight Academy, to the U.S.S. Oriskany memorial for scuba divers, to the downtown Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park.

In Beloit, Wisconsin, Diane Hendricks is leaving her fingerprints in many positive ways. Her work benefits healthcare, entrepreneurship, housing, entertainment, and a host of educational opportunities at the Lincoln Academy. She also helps students acquire skills in trades via the Hendricks CareerTek initiative. The list goes on and on.

Jack Fetterman and Diane Hendricks did not and do not make contributions to be recognized. Quite the opposite. They credit others. Their fingerprints positively impact thousands. Every community has fingerprint-leavers. Thank them while you can.

Fingerprints

Fingerprints are everywhere,
Their impact is always there.
Some memories are constant, and some come and go,
We are grateful to the people we got to know.

 Life is what one gives, not what one takes.
If you can, thank those who have touched your life.
Let them know the impact they have had.
For often people do not realize the difference they make.

—Quint Studer