The Ultimate Gift : Time

This month has been full of "one-year memorials," commemorating the deaths of my father, mother and youngest brother one year ago. As I talked to my sister-in-law this week, she explained to me how many widows the country of South Africa has incurred because of COVID-19. We have all heard it said that life is a gift and that we should use it wisely. But when our entire world experiences a pandemic that brings to the forefront the value of our time on earth, we gain a fresh perspective.

Everyone has 86,400 seconds each day to use or abuse. The choice is ours. Do we spend it wisely, invest it or waste it?

For 52 years of his life, my daddy was a prison chaplain in South Africa. It was one of his favorite mission ministries. My husband, Andrew, and I have been the recipients over the years of several hand-carved gifts, crafted by grateful prisoners who loved my father. I remember speaking with my father about the time and attention the prisoners gave to making these intricate works of art. I will never forget my father's response: "When time is your most valuable commodity, you make it count!"

Every day, we have a choice of how we spend our day and who we spend it with. Some people work to live, and others live to work. But what if work was part of the legacy you leave in this world?

I love my family, but I desire that our children see the whole world as part of our family and that we are not an island only caring and living for ourselves and those that look like us.

My daughter, Ellie, was 5 years old when she sat with me for hours at the bedside of a dying friend during a weekend. Rather than feeling my weekend would be better spent at home with my children, I felt it would be invaluable to include my children in the larger "circle of life" to which I have dedicated myself.

Throughout their childhood and adolescence, my children have often visited with Century Park and Life Care residents, learning to appreciate senior adults on a much deeper and more personal level. While it is evident today that some people are exiting their careers and choosing their families over working, I must ask myself, what will become of our world if we all choose to spend our time with our own instead of including others in a life dedicated to service and outreach?

I am reminded of the scripture, "Teach us to number our days, O Lord, that we may apply our hearts with wisdom."

So as each brilliant sunrise and picturesque sunset graces the next 86,400 seconds gifted to you, choose wisely how you will spend them and remember that your monetary value is worth far less than the legacy you leave through a life lived in service.