Time

With work, vacation, a class reunion, volunteer responsibilities, friends, family, and lest we forget kickball - I am a busy man. I seem to ask myself the question daily if there are enough hours in the day to complete all the task that I need to finish. I have always said that I like to be busy, and busy is what I am.

Needless to say the things that I am currently involved in not only give me the opportunity to work, play and spend time with some really great people. They also accomplish some pretty neat stuff. From the beginning of my life I wanted to be involved and ready for what came my way, and it seems that now whether or not I am ready…plenty of things are coming my way.

At the beginning of the month I spent a few days in the enchanting city of New Orleans. While I was there I spoke to my Papaw on the phone to wish him a happy eightieth birthday. The two of us compared travels, his list was obviously larger than mine, but we both shared the love of the world and life's opportunities. As I meandered through the streets of the French Quarter talking to him I connected with the idea that life is a wonderful thing. Sometimes like the candle that tilts to one side and wax drips off on to the floor - people and places make their mark on us and equally so, we are given the chance to make our own mark on them.

In July, I will reunite with my classmates from Dawson Springs High School after ten years. Finding them on Facebook, and finding their addresses - reacquainting myself with a group of people that I knew so well for so many years - proved to be enjoyable in and of itself. But the true enjoyment comes in getting to spend time with these friends. People that share the same years and memories, of classrooms and milestones. Like the Dandelion that burst into the wind, a hundred parts, and only those knew how it was to be a part of the whole. I am reminded that it is always important to go home, to regroup, recap, and rejuvenate.

As the days fly by and projects come and go I am always eager to put in my time here and there to be a part of something that is bigger than just me. I think we all know that the value of the volunteer is in the money that is saved and the time that is gained from those with true affection for their respective causes. We all understand the idea that a valuable employee is not only there to get his job done, but also there to help those on his team complete their task if needed.

Furthermore, we should all appreciate those friends and family members that are always there - without fail - either to lean on, to laugh with, to cry with, share, love and live with. Those are people we want in our corners.

Whether it is in the time that we spend on volunteer projects, with our friends and family, vacation or work, or even kickball - time is valuable. And as my Aunt Judy says: "Sometimes all we have to give is our time."

Time is so valuable - I know because I have taken a lot of other peoples time over the years. However, I hope to have given my fair share in return. It is a good lesson we learn when we begin to understand that our time is worth more than dollars and cents. It leads us to the knowledge that we as individuals are valuable, indispensible, and needed - if only to just one or two. These conclusion bring meaning to our lives…and that's crucial!