Recently, my husband updated my PC, and in the process, I found a folder titled, “Lost Files.”
I opened it.
And I found another file titled “Daniel’s phone records” . . . the history of incoming and outgoing calls on my late son’s phone. The history spanned a couple of weeks leading up to—and including the day he passed away at age 21.
One of those phone numbers on that day was a call to my phone, and it lasted for nine minutes.
I had no idea that those nine minutes would be my last five hundred and forty seconds of communication with him.
Unbeknownst to me, the discovery of Daniel’s phone records came just days after posting the following on my Facebook wall:
“Younger Moms: Take time to nurture your little ones while you have the opportunity. Dishes can wait. That text from a friend will still be there tomorrow to answer. The latest news story will be replaced by another one in a few hours. That Amazon order can be purchased next week. But children won’t always be there. One day they’ll be gone; perhaps in heaven or perhaps on the other side of the country or world. Enjoy them while you’re able . . .everything else can wait.”
Those nine minutes reminded me of the words of an unknown author:
“Mother, seize the precious hours,
While dew is on thy flowers.
Life is such a fleeting thing,
Mother! Mother! sow in spring.”
The texts can wait.
The notifications can be silenced.
The latest news story can be reviewed tomorrow.
The overtime hours to afford the new house and trendy updates won’t mean much someday.
Because when children grow up and leave home, time and things won’t matter as much anymore.
“Mothers, seize the precious hours
While dew is on thy flowers.
Life is such a fleeting thing,
Mother! Mother! sow in spring.”
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than twelve years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich food. Today, she’s certified in whole plant food nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet.
