Here's the most special thing a person can give you...

Last night, I attended a funeral service honoring a childhood friend of mine who passed away last week.

On hand was a pastor who said something that really hit home:

"The most special thing a person can give you is his or her time, for it's the one thing they'll never ever get back."

And it's true. Think about it.

Some of you might be saying, "Nope, Jeff, it's love." Love is certainly essential to our well-being, but the reality is that you can get it from different people. Even if you get divorced or witness the end of a friendship, you can always find someone else to fill the void.

It's one's time, though, that can neither be replaced nor recouped. The 15 or so minutes I spend writing and publishing this post can never be regained -- they're gone forever. The time you'll spend talking to a neighbor or grocery store clerk this weekend is time from your life that you could be using to do something else, but that you decided to share with said people.

The pastor went on to say that we should always be appreciative of any time a person takes out of his or her busy schedule for us -- whether it's to pay us a visit, call us on the phone, or send us a text message.

And so, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for taking time to read and comment on my posts. You could be doing anything else, but you're here -- and for that I am truly grateful. At the same time, it's a pleasure to take time out of my schedule to discuss such profound topics with all of you.

Our time on this planet is finite, which is why we should aim to make the most of it. I think we'd all agree that time is the one luxury we wish we could have more of. And what better way to spend it than with those we care about?

Once someone with whom we've shared special moments passes away, we're left with lasting memories -- memories that exist only because that person allocated time in his or her life for us.

Do you agree that time is the most special gift one can give?

Please check out earlier posts by clicking here: How to Understand People

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