While looking down at a friend lying in his casket, an eerie feeling came over me.  I noticed that the watch he was wearing was still ticking.  It was truly ironic.  Although his heart had stopped, the time on his watch kept ticking away.  Why was his watch still ticking, even though he no longer needed to know the time?

It was a sad realization to know that time would continue.  The flowers for his funeral would eventually wither.  His funeral cards would be put away. Everyone would go on with their lives.  My daughter kept asking,  “How could he be gone?” None of it seemed real.  I could understand her disbelief.

The pictures attached to the memorial boards painted his life’s story: precious memories of his family vacations and his kids’ births.  There was even a picture taken from just a few months ago.  I thought to myself, “When he took that picture, I’ll bet that he never thought that he’d be gone today.”  He would not see his kids get married or even get to know his grandchildren.  Even though he would miss these things, he wouldn’t miss stuff like his watch.

What do we do with a person’s possessions once they’re gone? Things that were precious to them become clutter to others.  I guess this makes me realize that material possessions are just “things.”  Things that won’t matter once we’re gone.  No one is going to want my schoolbooks or favorite pair of socks.  Who would want my ugly old slippers?  Although they mean a lot to me, they’re, in fact, worthless.

Things are replaceable but people are not.  However, it seems that we’re always looking for more “things.”  Houses, cars, jewelry, and clothes are the focus of everyday work.  For many,  they spend more time at work than they do at home.  Their kids suffer and they eventually end up getting divorced.  They only see extended family at  either weddings or funerals.  Holidays become stressful shopping sprees that put us further in debt and cause us to work more.  It’s a never ending cycle.

In the end, things all seem really silly to me.  Lives like these seem like lives that are wasted.  Time should be spent with our loved ones because they are life’s only true treasures.  The one thing that I admire about our friend is that he spent all of his free time with his family.  He never missed a school event.  He made memories.

Time is ticking.  Have you spent time with your loved ones recently?  Have you made your own memories?

This article is in memory of Joe Smith.  May he fly with the angels and forever watch over his girls.

“Love is stronger than death, even though it can’t stop death from happening.  No matter how hard death tries, it can’t separate people from love.  It can’t take away our memories either.  In the end, life is stronger than death.”—Unknown

Author: Rhonda Gutierrez

Graphics: Paula Anderanin