Tempus Fugit, Time Flies

I remember when Jimmy, don’t know his last name, on the Mickey Mouse Club  presented a talk on the subject of Time.  He had a clock, and you could hear it ticking the seconds away.  His message was clear, this time will never come back to us.  Mel Brookes has a bit where he says; ” Have a good time, because no one wants a bad time.”  Jim Croce sang; “Time in a bottle”, and naturally we can’t save time as if we were canning food.  Yet salesmen will tell you,” This baby will save you time…”  Perhaps!  But no matter what, we are going to use  time.  And, unfortunately, eventually our time will run out.  Some call it eternity, but in essence, we will not exist in this mortal coil.  And there is nothing we can do about it.

I had a friend who said that his father was dying, and he called his son over to his bed, where he lay in the dark.  He said ; ” I’ve been doing some thinking.  You know, everything I have done, or enjoyed is soon going to pass on…”  He let the thought drop.  My friend said that this was the last conversation he had with his father. 

I hope to use my time for edifying others.  This morning on CBS Morning Show, there was a story about a  man who had ALS.  ALS is a fatal disease, and robs you of mobility, speech, and eventually the ability to breathe.  This guy was in a wheelchair, and he said that he wanted to make people happy.  He bought doughnuts for youngsters, and interviewed others  with the same disease.  He said he was going to use his time to help others.

I remember before I got married, a woman came to the Pastor who was to marry Carol and me.  She was in his office a long time.  We heard her sob behind the door.  When she left, I asked the Pastor what her problem was?  He said that she had been told she was terminal, and had a very short time to live.  I can still hear her heels clicking down the hall as she left.

I studied for the ministry, and I had a small congregation.  The Elders came to me, and said: “Brother so and so has cancer and will not be with us much longer, will you preach  at his funeral?” I said,”If I am here, which I wasn’t.  I could not face a man who knew his life was  coming to an end. 

When my father died,  I was more prepared, and when my mother died, she had Alzheimer’s Disease, I looked upon this as a release.  I am now to the age where friends I grew up  with are dying.  And I wish at times time could be saved in a bottle.