Time is always on our minds: being on time, wasting time, “saving time in a bottle,” time management, the passage of time, time on our hands, no time on our hands, and time that passes too quickly. Time can be a friend or a foe. When there is not enough time to do the things we want to do, then (lack of) time is our enemy.
As someone who likes to think beyond present circumstances, I enjoy considering both the past and the future. Tonight, I am remembering the fact that my grandfather, his parents and siblings came here from Vienna, Austria. They were seeking better financial conditions, no doubt, and perhaps, freedom of religion. From my father’s side of the family came the Irish from County Kilkenny. They were fleeing an impoverished country, in the hopes of providing a better life for their children. The Irish in Boston were met with signs that said, “Irish Need Not Apply.” There are songs about the plight of the Irish in America, including a song about working on the railway. Part of the lyrics say, “… Sweet Biddie McGee, she went to heaven. If she left one kid, she left eleven, to work upon the railway.”
I have a photo of my Irish grandfather, standing by the trolley car that he drove through the streets of Manchester, New Hampshire, long before bus transportation was available. How times have changed! I look at photos of my grandparents and wonder what they would think, if they could see how life is lived today, or if they could see my own grandchildren… the embodiment of a long line of people who said “yes” to life.
My grandfather is standing on the left, in front of his trolley car, Manchester, NH
“Time marches on.” “Time and tide wait for no man.” “Those were the times of our lives.” “Like sands through an hour glass, so are the days of our lives.” These are sayings we have all heard and they continue to be repeated because they have a ring of truth about them.
We cannot know fully “who” will come after us. Our lives are relatively short, when we consider how long a time the earth has been here. We are so full of ourselves, most of the time, we cannot see ourselves for the speck of dirt we really are, in a much greater universe, a world filled with countless people with innumerable problems and grand aspirations, just like us.
Lately, I have been doing a lot of reading about events during World War II. It is hard to imagine the whole world at war and millions of people losing their lives. The battles in the Pacific and their results are beyond comprehension and a surprise to someone who has mostly heard, all of her life, about fighting in Europe. It is a “time” we should never forget. Yet, in some history books, I am told, coverage of WWII has been reduced to one sentence. Our collective memory is short-lived!
I hope that you will use your time wisely, not fritter it away. It is a non-renewable resource, and every day counts. Make today a good day! “Don’t worry; be happy!”
By the way, it was the late singer/ songwriter, Jim Croce, who sang about saying “time in a bottle.”
Patricia Cummings
Tags: Time
