Thanks for your time...

garym
garym Member Posts: 1,647
in Kidney Cancer #1

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. 

 

 

 

 

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 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 moments that take our breath away,"

 

 

 

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

 

1. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

 

 

 

2. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

 

 

 

3. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

 

 

 

4. You mean the world to someone.

 

 

 

5. If not for you, someone may not be living.

 

 

 

6. You are special and unique.

 

 

 

7. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

 

 

 

8. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

 

 

 

9. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

 

 

 

10. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

 

 

 

11.. Always remember the compliments you received... Forget about the rude remarks.

 

 

 

12 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

 

 

13. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

So to everyone; THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME!!!

 

Comments

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #2
    Great Message

    And thank's for taking the time to post this Gary, loved it! 

    Djinnie x

  • alice124
    alice124 Member Posts: 896 Member
    #3
    Gary, Good share; good

    Gary,

     

    Good share; good reminders. 

     

    You're a special person amd a good friend, and you have created many, many smiles on the other sides of your postings. Thank you for the many you've given me.

     

     

  • Baaa-bs
    Baaa-bs Member Posts: 50
    #4
    Thank You

    Thank you for sharing ........ a good reminder for everyone.

  • TillieSOK
    TillieSOK Member Posts: 252
    #5
    Thank you, Gary.  That makes

    Thank you, Gary.  That makes me stop and think and appreciate what I DO have, and not worry about what I might have had.  That post nailed it.

  • Bellweather
    Bellweather Member Posts: 102
    #6
    I will share with my family

    Good stuff Gary, good stuff!

  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #7
    Bellweather said:

    I will share with my family

    Good stuff Gary, good stuff!

    Gary's talents

    If anyone had any doubts as to whether there's more to Gary than just a pretty face, now they know (and it's just as well, too Laughing).

  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #8
    A true story about a great teacher...

    SHE IS … A TEACHER!!!

            In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha
    Cothren, a History teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did
    something not to be forgotten.
            On the first day of school, with the permission of the school
    superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all
    of the desks in her classroom.  When the first period kids entered the room
    they discovered that there were no desks.
           'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?'  She replied, 'You can't have a
    desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'   
           They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'
            'No,' she said.
            'Maybe it's our behavior.'
            She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'
            And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third
    period.  Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell
    them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had
    started gathering at the school to    report about this crazy teacher who
    had taken all the desks out of her room.
           The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found
    seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said,
    'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or
    she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found
    in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'     At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into
    that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the
    school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside
    the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place
    those kids  started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives
    just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
            Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These
    heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went
    halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their
    careers and families so you could have the freedom you have.  Now, it's
    up to you to sit in them.  It is your responsibility to learn, to be
    good students, to be good citizens.  They paid the price so that you
    could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
            By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded
    Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in
    2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW.

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