What's in a moment of time? Why does time pass so quickly in moments of bliss and joy, yet the moment of deep sorrow and pain feels endless and relentless? 

How can the same quantity and entity of time be so different in each life? As we traverse Earth's journey one step at a time, each step can be marked with a timestamp - for one a lifetime in a moment, for others a breath too short. How do we comprehend the vast reality of time in human bodies that bear the mark of life's time journey? Some look aged and worn at 40, others at 60 still young and vibrant. Some bodies are healthy, and others struggle with health for their entire timestamp on earth. How does a blink of an eye, a moment of time transpire so quickly for one, and yet drag on with prolonged agony for another? 

In one day, in a moment, a child is born, a new life brought into this world, a cry announcing its arrival, celebrated with rejoicing - yet on that same day, in the blink of an eye, a precious loved one - gone, with sad cries of hearts broken by its loss. Gone from this earthly world - no time for goodbyes, no last words shared, no love you's to speak into hearts. Time stops in one moment, and in another, time begins.

Wrapping my mind around this reality is quite frankly, impossible. It's often called the circle of life. The writer of Ecclesiastes pondered this truth too. A time to live and a time to die... a time for all things, good and bad.

Hurts, shattered dreams, broken promises, failures - so much of what is broken in our humanity lies within a timestamp. Yet, marked also are the joys of hearing a baby's first cry, smelling the rich fragrance of garden peonies, hearing loved ones say I love you, being wrapped in the embrace of the one you love, and the delight of watching the rain drip from the skies, watering the earth, and for the joyous love of Jesus that can rinse your soul of its dirt and grime, refresh and renew under the waterspout of His grace and mercy. 

What does the timestamp of life hold? What marks the measure of time in life? 

Each of us has a different file, our own number, and our own reality. What can we fill ours with that really matters, that will be the hallmark when the timestamp seals, and is written: "Done". Will it be well done, thou good and faithful servant? Will surrendering your life to Jesus mark each moment of your life with a covering of His grace and love? Or will you endeavor and strive to make life your own, alone? 

Remember - each life has a timestamp and its length unknown.  Live each day without regrets- aware that life is not guaranteed beyond our next breath. Live with love, joy, and peace. Gather each moment of your life like a bouquet of flowers, knowing that its season can and will end, but is to be enjoyed fully in the moment. 

Don't wait another day - or for that perfect moment - instead live each and every breath of your life aware of your timestamp, it is being marked.  

Make it count. 

The day my Dad died, coincided with several big events in our family.  A great-niece was born early on the morning on June 9, 2023 hours before Dad passed.  And 73 years before, on June 9, 1950, his sister Helen Elayne was stillborn due to a doctor's error giving too much ether to my grandmother. Dad died on the day his sister would have been born, 73 years previously. When I wrote the "Timestamp" piece on the airplane, I was not aware of the date of his death coinciding with the death of his younger sister. 

I shared this verse at Dad's going away service. It sums up the beauty of his life lived.