Learning to Measure Time

How do you measure time?

I remember waiting for the day that I would marry Steve. Each day seemed that it would last forever. Every night I would kiss his picture and put the picture frame under my pillow so that I could dream of the days to come. Finally, the day came and we made our vows to God that we would love each other in sickness and health, in poverty and with wealth. We vowed to love each other until death would part us.

He took my hand, looked into my eyes and whispered, “I love you Mrs. Jones.” Time stood still. I thought my heart would melt. We walked down the aisle hand in hand. 

Some years went by slowly, some went by so fast that they took my breath away. But he was always beside me holding my hand. Sometimes we fought, sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried because that’s how it is when you choose to love.

I have loved Steve for 48 years. Our time together now feels like a calendar that was left out in a windstorm. The wind seems to be blowing so hard that it’s causing time to blur and move to fast. I want to savor each moment, and to simply stare into the face that I have loved for so long.

I want time to stop, but I know an eternal truth. “As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instruction” (Psalm 103:15-18). Too soon the day will come when Steve will not be there to hold my hand. 

I am learning to measure time through the lens of eternity.