Thankful to have time .... Romance and Relationships  

A very dynamic youthful minister took center stage one day at church and his message got me to thinking (I do that sometimes).  He emphasized how time is so very essential to relationships of any nature, for only through time can the relationship be cultured and love be fostered.

The church drama (as in actors) began with a tired, frazzled father arriving home at 7:30 p.m. with endearing flash-backs of his five year old.  Fast forward to his now twenty year old.  Where did the time go, he asks?  How did he miss so much?  A perplexing, internal struggle ensues.  He simply doesn’t get it!  

His wife, in order to assist with the answers he so desperately seeks, repeatedly reminds him of late evenings and vacant seats at the dinner table.  If only he had spent more time....he laments.

Lyrically, “The Cat’s in the Cradle” has always left me with an indelible impression as it relates to the parent-child dynamic, and sure enough, this song followed the thought-provoking drama. What the son was missing from Dad was .....time.

Funny, just last night I was speaking with a friend of mine from Michigan.  I was reciting my opinion of long distance romances and how the telephone is one of the greatest friends we have.  Here, we can hear the voice and intonation, get a feel for color and punch (as we call it in public speaking and acting exercises).  

He was interested to hear my take on how, telephonically, romance can surely develop before having met that individual face-to-face. As an advocate of the telephone, I insisted that it is all very simple ......it is an investment of time.  

As if by design, the minister recounted how he and his wife began and solidified their connection, by clocking countless hours of nightly telephone time.  They grew together, laughed together, delved into each other’s souls together by making use of....... time.

A few years ago, I was blessed to have met a very special man who lived five hours away. Our bond was cultivated by and through time. Night after night, he called after leaving work, never in a hurry to get off the phone, just eager to learn more about me..... to explore us. Knowing that I was all alone, one night he sat patiently on the phone until 3:00 a.m. while a major hurricane rattled my windows and sent glass shattering throughout my apartment.  He always had the time.

Funny thing, time is. Once it’s gone, it can never be recaptured.  

Yes, in this disposable, dispensable, fast-paced society of immediate gratification and convenience, where another minute translates into another dollar, there is something to be said for time. I prefer to view it this way  -  Another minute of time could translate into a lifetime......... of LOVE.