The Web site, Dictionary.com defines legacy as “anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.” Each one of us, young or old, leaves some type of legacy behind wherever we go.

As our nation prepares to celebrate the fateful day of July 4, 1776 Wednesday, with the Norwegians in Poulsbo getting a headstart on everyone else by commemorating the Third of July, the legacies of our forefathers are reverberating through the centuries as the universal theme of freedom echoes loudly across the world.

The Third of July in Poulsbo and the Fourth of July in Kingston are the perfect opportunities to have two days of family fun as children of all ages will undoubtedly be exhausted and with full bellies after indulging in all those two great events have to offer.

Get off of work early Tuesday and head to downtown Poulsbo and see what new event organizers Mike McLaughlin and Sandi Peterson have brought to the table. There will a car show to benefit the Poulsbo Marine Science Center, which Bill Austin and his merry band of volunteers have been working on like the Seven Dwarfs waiting for Snow White to grace them with her presence.

There’s also a dance at the Kvelstad Pavilion for those who want to cut a rug while bright stars and other pyrotechnic granduer blossom over the skies of Liberty Bay.

Then sleep in a little on Wednesday and head to the Little City by the Sea and watch the longest running Fourth of July parade in the state before letting the kids go wild in Tiny Town.

The smallest city in the Little City by the Sea will open July 3 at Kola Kole Park as it does its part to get the rest of the city in a festive mood.

The Fourth will usher in another march of pageantry as even the Washington State Ferries system stops long enough to let the parade make its way through town. The event predates the ferry run, so it’s about the only time during the summer Kingston isn’t clogged with incoming or outgoing ferry traffic. Enjoy the calm and make sure your kiddos grab as much candy as they can.

As soon as dusk falls upon the city, the skies over Mike Wallace Park will be as bright as the noonday sun as the latest version of pyrotechnic mastery explodes over the water.

All that being said, some legacies are harder to define for various reasons that range from tragedy to a lack of many connections to the outside world, but everyone has a legacy.

As I write this last editorial for the North Kitsap Herald, I am fully aware of this publication’s tradition of excellence and commitment to the North End for more than a century.

Writing about its legacy is something even a fifth-grader could do as well as a seasoned reporter, but grasping the words to tell the world about the impact of a life hanging in the balance in a hospital room in Seattle is almost impossible.

A life that I have known as mostly cheerful smiles, a courageous fighting spirit beyond her years, a light in her eyes that brightens the grayest Seattle skies and someone who I want my son, CJ, to take after in many ways is leaving a living legacy of which any parent would be proud.

I am just her Uncle Charles and although I’ve been the uncle that only comes around two or three times a year, she hasn’t held it against me in the slightest.

Tasha, here’s wishing you all the best in your recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with you. Your Uncle Charles.