time
Last week was rough for my circle of friends.
One buried her mom, while another mourned the one-year anniversary of her own mother's passing. One lost a close friend, and another reflected on the life lessons he learned from his step-father who committed suicide 10 years ago. Yet another learned his mother has cancer, and still one more is preparing for his grandmother's funeral this week.
This loss juxtaposed with losing an hour for Daylight Savings Time makes me think about how much time I waste that could be spent showing love to the people around me, listening to their stories, and enjoying their company.
During the last summer I spent with my grandfather I remember sitting on the back porch together, enjoying the weather and a cold beverage (ice water for me, Old Crow for him), while he told me stories about growing up at the train depot. Well in to our conversation one of my girlfriends called and I ran off to gossip with her on my new cordless phone. I was 16, so gossip seemed more important to my development than railroad talk.
I think back to that time and wonder if I hurt his feelings, wonder what stories I missed out on that will never be told. I hate to talk on the phone to this day.
Despite those few wasted moments, there were a million more moments that we embraced together. Perhaps because he lived in Iowa and I lived in Ohio and that made our summer and winter visits all the more special. Perhaps because embracing life and love and time came so naturally to my grandfather that it was easy to want to share in moments with him.
And because we embraced so much of our time together, it seems impossible to think that I have now spent half my life without him. It seems like just yesterday we were going fishing, playing cribbage, writing poems, and taking road trips. Because when you EMBRACE TIME those memories, those moments, no matter how few or how many, are enough to last a lifetime.
Listening to Time by Pink Floyd.
One buried her mom, while another mourned the one-year anniversary of her own mother's passing. One lost a close friend, and another reflected on the life lessons he learned from his step-father who committed suicide 10 years ago. Yet another learned his mother has cancer, and still one more is preparing for his grandmother's funeral this week.
This loss juxtaposed with losing an hour for Daylight Savings Time makes me think about how much time I waste that could be spent showing love to the people around me, listening to their stories, and enjoying their company.
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| With my Grandpa Lowell in his classroom in Hubbard, Iowa, 1992. |
I think back to that time and wonder if I hurt his feelings, wonder what stories I missed out on that will never be told. I hate to talk on the phone to this day.
Despite those few wasted moments, there were a million more moments that we embraced together. Perhaps because he lived in Iowa and I lived in Ohio and that made our summer and winter visits all the more special. Perhaps because embracing life and love and time came so naturally to my grandfather that it was easy to want to share in moments with him.
And because we embraced so much of our time together, it seems impossible to think that I have now spent half my life without him. It seems like just yesterday we were going fishing, playing cribbage, writing poems, and taking road trips. Because when you EMBRACE TIME those memories, those moments, no matter how few or how many, are enough to last a lifetime.
Listening to Time by Pink Floyd.
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