In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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ONCE YOU READ THIS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!
A young man learns what's most important in life from
the guy next door.
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 y ou 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.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your
time!"
"Life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take but by the encounters that life others' spirits and perhaps even mine, and also those moments that take our breath away."
A few people in this world love me so much they would die for me. A number more people in this world love me in some way. How much time do I choose to spend with people I love, with people I want to love, with people who need my love...?
Time chosen and carefully, personally "spent" with someone will certainly brighten their day and might change their
perspective on life... for the better. To
you who read this…
"Thanks for your time."
In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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