A Son's Reflection On Savoring Each Moment

A rabbi was once asked, “Why do we always have to be faced with the fact that we must soon all die?”

His answer was, “So that we will truly appreciate the value and preciousness of our time here on this earth, and make the most of every moment.”

Years ago our second son sent us a copy of an e-mail he had posted to a number of his friends after he and his young wife had walked their dogs through a nearby snow covered graveyard one night. 

He wrote, “There is such a remarkable transformation of our little world when blanketed by several inches of frozen moisture. The reflection of light from the white crust creates a surreal illumination of otherwise unnoticed objects under the night sky... there is a silence that is in part due to the lack of people venturing out, but primarily caused by the muffling of sound, as if the world was covered by a heavy blanket. Within this silence, surrounded by the ghosts of lives that no longer wake up, see the sun, or sense the crispness of new snow, I found myself reflecting on the... seemingly brief moment that constitutes our time on this earth.   

“Now I am home, typing away in my small but cozy apartment in a little house in a little town, in a little moment that relative to the scheme of time is small and seemingly insignificant. But within this moment I have a clarity that compels me to hold my wife's hand a little tighter, scratch my dogs bellies a little longer, thank God for the blessings in my life and not complain about the problems, and tell my friends that I love them very much and thank them for being a part of indelible memories that bring warmth and light to my life as the night’s snow continues to fall.”

Coming from a son then less than half my age, his words spoke volumes about my need to take time to savor life’s every moment, to celebrate every day as a precious and fleeting gift.