As most of you know by now, I always like to do a Sunday Faith Blog that, I hope, grounds us and gives us some kind of hope in this nuts world, and maybe helps in our daily lives. Please come back for hard-hitting politics and culture Monday through Saturday.........just because we're soft on Sunday doesn't mean we don't hit it hard the rest of the week!! Thanks...Z :-) Here's a nice one I got via email:
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked..
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box.. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.
Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was...my time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
Maybe somebody can use that reminder.....I know can. Z
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8 comments:
And up goes the stock in Kleenex.
I liked this :)
::sniffle::
That an excellent reminder, Z. Who can't identify with the lessons of that story?
Waylon
Z, this is so touching.
Yes, there's so much more to life than work and money. However, I would like to say, that providing for one's family, and making it a top priority, is an act of love too.
Sometimes it's difficult, and there are only so many hours in a day. I'm thinking of the years Mr. Pris worked two jobs, yet somehow he'd race to the little league field between jobs to watch our son play, or to a GAC event our daughter participated in.
It helps to be young parents and to have the energy to fit it all in. I have found that most parents do the best they can.
Pris
This brought back some painful memories but one needs to be reminded occasionally that once time has past it is like water under the bridge, it can not be returned.
It took me some time to realize that there were and are things more important than a career and getting to the top.
Thank you for the reminder.
Ticker
hi there~! Have a beautiful weekend~!:)
Touching, yes, but I wonder if it's really true? It has about it the aura of lovingly embellished folklore.
Doesn't matter if it's literally true or not. What we need to take away from this tale is that all of us need to value one another, honor one another, be patient with and faithful to one another and give each other the benefit of the doubt at every turn.
We need to cultivate a liking for one another, instead of always finding fault.
But how does the story lovely as it is relate to religion? Or doesn't that matter either?
B. Fowler
Embarrassingly low rate of participation on this thread, especially for a blog that prides itself on catering to concerns of Christian identity. Story was nice, but how is it specifically connected to the bible? Or doesn't that matter?
Ah. Lovely. Thanks for the reminder.
Anon, you may not have heard of Jesus' encounter w/ Mary & Martha. Luke 10:38-42. Jesus makes it very clear that spending time with a loved one is more important than material things or even well-intentioned acts of service. It's only 5 verses, & worth a read, if you're done being antagonistic to our friend Z.
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