Gifford Volunteer Chaplain Kathy Rohloff shares her personal reflections in this blog post. Kathy and all of our volunteer chaplains offer a nonsectarian presence. If you need someone to listen, and hear you with compassion, you can reach them by calling the Rev. Tim Eberhardt at 802-728-2107.
“If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
’Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you”
-Jim Croce
By Kathy Rohloff
Fifty years ago, Jim Croce wrote “Time in a Bottle” to his son. Eight days before A.J.’s second birthday, Jim died in a plane crash. The time given to him on Earth was over.
We all experience the effects of time.
Time slows down and halts during difficult days, races through adventures, and slips through our fingers.
We look at our children, and in our mirrors, and exclaim, “Where did the time go?” Sometimes in wonder, but often in dismay, we realize another year or opportunity is gone.
A lot of life is filled with the consumption of time in essentials, i.e. working, sleeping, eating, that we cannot function without. It is then we find ourselves singing more of Croce’s refrain:
“But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them”
We cannot save time. It is not a bank account. It is a gift on loan to each of us.
Today we need to determine to live in the time that we have been given.
How will we spend it?
In the midst of schedules and commitments that have to be met, we need to be intentional in how we use the rest of our time. There always will be choices to make. In our attempts to live a life full of experiences, are we also striving to forge true and lasting connections? We always have to remember that people are more important than things.
How can we stay connected with those we love in good times and bad?
Set aside days and times to reflect, to converse, to listen together. Hold these relationships close and treasure them. Make being with each other a priority.
With any spare time we have, share with those we come in contact with as we go about our days. Great interactions occur in grocery aisles and parking lots, hospital waiting rooms and community events. Wherever we encounter another, we find a potential friend, someone who matters.
“I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with.”
Be aware of the preciousness of time and how quickly it passes. We have been given a great gift. Always be conscious that our purpose is to make lasting connections.
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