Gong (Gone)!

Recently I had a day off and the opportunity to sit at the kitchen table of my friend Edna.  That’s always a treat, and I never walk away without having gleaned some little nugget of wisdom.  This particular day was no different.

Edna and I frequently exchange emails, updating one another on our families, our prayer requests, what’s happening in our worlds, we discuss books we’re reading, and when we’ll see each other again.  Every TIME either of us type the word “time,” in our emails, or handwrite it in a greeting card, we highlight it, underline it, capitalize it…     It seems as though we’ve had hundreds of conversations about TIME over the years that we’ve enjoyed our friendship.  And learning how to be a good steward of my TIME is something I have Edna to thank for.  (I’m still a student of learning how to steward my TIME; I have NOT mastered it quite yet!)

This particular morning was no different.  We talked about TIME, and my friend shared that she sat the other day just sat perfectly still, and as she sat – she watched the second hand on her watch go around and around.  Before you know it, five minutes had passed.  Gone.  Just like that.

So there we were, sitting at her kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee in our favorite coffee cups, and some home made pumpkin bread (that she took the TIME to make from scratch!), and then – GONG!  Her grandfather clock was sounding at the half-hour mark.

That gong was so loud, and just like that, Edna looked at me and said, “GONE!”

What? I asked.

“Gone!” she said again.  “That last 30 minutes is GONE!”  Edna got up to take our dishes to the sink.

Time.

You can’t save it, tuck it away, or return it.  You can’t ask for it back.  You can’t hide it, steal it, or loan it out.  It’s precious, and it’s a gift.

So steward it, and steward it well.  That just might be my 2022 theme as the new year approaches 😉

Thanks for our kitchen table talks, Edna.  I can’t wait till the next TIME!