Investment of Time – Sunday, May 23, 1982
“Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years. One season following another, laden with happiness and tears…” Those words—full of reminiscence and poignant with meaning—remind us that the years do seem to pass by with great speed. And they have particular meaning during the graduation season—a time when the hearts and minds of students and parents alike are full of memories of the past and hope for the future.
As parents, we are reminded that one of the best investments of time is in our families—in building strong relationships with our children. A recent Gallup poll indicated that American people now consider the personal aspects of their lives, such as family, to be far more important than the possession of material goods. Happiness with one’s family is viewed as a central ingredient for a quality life.
As so we must be careful not to miss the choice years when our children are young. For if we do, we may suddenly and painfully realize that they have grown older. We may find ourselves asking much too soon, “Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don’t remember growing older, when did them? Wasn’t it yesterday when they were small?”
Family bonds must be forged when children are young, and it requires an investment of time. More than anything in the world, today’s children need parents who have time for them. It’s more important than toys, or the keys to the family car, or money, or just about anything else that comes to mind. When we bind our families with love and an investment of personal time, we create a refuge where troubles and anxieties of the world are quickly forgotten. And there is probably nothing that will bring us more joy in later years than investing in our families while children are at home,
The proper fruit to be gathered in the winter of our days, said Cicero, is “to be able to look back with self-approving satisfaction on the happy and abundant produce of more active years.”1
Strong family relationships provide a long and rich harvest. And what greater fruit than strong family bonds and the satisfaction of knowing we are part of our children’s lives as we grow older together.
1 Cicero, “Old Age” (Source Unknown)
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May 23, 1982
Broadcast Number 2,753