Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Cat's In The Cradle: Make Time For Others While They Have Time

Harry Chapin released perhaps his biggest hit in the 1974 called "Cat's In The Cradle." It is a very deep ballad about a father and son, where the father always seems too busy to spend adequate time with the son. By the time the dad slows down and wants to spend time with his boy, he is grown with his own responsibilities and the tables have turned.

This sounds all too familiar for many of us.

Yesterday we paid tribute to veterans no longer with us and probably spent a lot of time with family and friends we hadn't seen in a while. It is unofficially summertime, which means more time with these such folks.  These are the days and seasons we need to take advantage of.

We may have been too busy or preoccupied during the winter months, but now is the time to set aside for those most important to us. This down/fun time is important, for no one lives forever and we want to be able to spend time with them while they are here.

Too often our daily lives dominate us and we unknowingly neglect and float people, activities and opportunities. The two most important groups to remember are the elderly and the youth. The older folks didn't always neglect us or may have been busy then also. Either way, they have slowed down and love the company of their loved ones. The youth are watching us, and we need to be that example. Just as in the song, they will "grow up just like me" and then forget you and perhaps their own children. It can be a dangerous cycle.

The point is time goes fast and we must use it wisely. We have the same 24 hours that everyone else has. How and whom we spend it with is up to us. Please don't let time pass you by.

Do you feel neglected by family and friends right now? What are you doing to change this?

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