time slips away

i got sent this and thought it was nice. so i put it here for you to read............

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 you 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 dif ficult 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!"

Mason,thankyou for posting this I lost my father to dementia coming up 2 years this christmas and the one thing I valued was the time I spent with him from the time I was a child to the day he passed away and he will alway's be my hero.

I value all the time I spend with my two children and wife and very close friend's this is something everyone should appreciate in life.

Again Mason Thankyou.

Regards Tony.

Great story Jamie, one thing I read and has always stuck with me was in a book Tim Allen wrote. He wrote "every minute I dont spent with my daughter, is a minute I'll never catch up on". I apply this theory to my sons and cherish every minute I spend with them, even when they're being little turds!

I also organise the NSW NNL Titles every year, which takes a huge amount of time. I got asked once why I bothered doing it every year, the answer I gave was "because it gives all my model building friends an excuse to catch up and see each other". I lost a mentor and great friend (Alan Bell)a few years ago to cancer and we have a memorial trophy for him at our show, it reminds all of us to appreciate the time we spent together and to pick up the phone every now and than and catch up with friends, they wont be around forever.

I treasure the mates I've made in MV and would do anything to help a mate if I can, the world would be a pretty crappy place without mates, so treasure the time you spend with friends and family.
None of us are here forever, make the most of what time we've got.

Great story.

I won't go into too much of my personal stuff here, but I went for quite a while without seeing my 4 kids. Of all the things I've done, and haven't done - it's the only period of my lie I wish I could do again.

Thanks.

I think we all know the feeling. Ive worked away all of my working life as a long-distance truckdriver until may last year, when i had a car head-on me (fatality). Out of all of the bad that has been caused by that accident, the one thing i am glad for is realizing what i had been missing out on. My son soon turns 12, and ive only been home for 3 birthdays and 4 christmas's since his birth. That will all change now and has already started to with my 2 daughters. Sometimes i feel guilty about turning my back on my family, but nothing i do can change the past. All I can do change the future. Theres nothing like getting a kiss and a cuddle from your kids and hearing the words "I love you daddy".

thanks for your words fellas. it makes me think about bits of my past. growing up without a father and the would be father figures in mums would be boyfriends. my boy Chevy is 14 months now i have a chance to give him what i missed out on. you ask Russ about the van nats. by sunday lunch i was ready to come home. i missed him too much.