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

It
had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls,
career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear
across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the
rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and
often no time to spend with those important to him. He was working on
his future, and nothing could stop him.

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,"

Time has a way of getting away from all of us...TAKE THE TIME...NOW.