Medicine or Dried Up Bones

"To be cheerful is to be ready to greet others with a welcome, a word of encouragement, an enthusiasm for the task at hand, and a positive outlook on the future. Such people are as welcome as pain relieving medicine." 

This was commentary in my Bible for the verse in Proverbs 17:22 that says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." It got me thinking about the influence that I have on the people around me. Do I leave the people in my life feeling like they have been uplifted and encouraged or do I leave them feeling the opposite way? Does my presence err on the side of a pain relieving medicine or on the side of sickness and disease? 

Our presence in the lives of others is leaving behind one or the other whether we realize it or not. It's hard to have that honest moment with ourselves when we really analyze the tracks we've been leaving behind in the lives of those around us. Yes, we all have bad days, days when we wish we could re-do a thing or two or take back something or some things we said. However, what would most people say of your demeanor? Your ability to heal or leave wounds? If you are ready for an honest answer and will accept it, it's a great thing to ask some of your closest friends and family. We all want to matter, we all want to leave a legacy that people will remember for years after we are gone. Will yours be a legacy of life-giving medicine or dried up bones?