Time Is Love

We had a really great stake conference over the weekend. The area 70 who spoke at the session on Saturday was especially good. I had a bunch of notes and things that I had written down from his talk, but the thing that stuck out the most to me was his comments about spending time with one another, and he said exactly, "time is love."

Then he shared this poem by Elrod Leany:

One day when Bruce was just a lad, first starting out in school,

He came into my workshop and climbed upon a stool.

I saw him as he entered but I hadn't time to play.

So I merely nodded to him and said, "Don't get in the way."

He sat awhile just thinking.... As quiet as could be,

Then carefully he got down and came and stood by me.

He said, "Old Shep, he never works and he has lots of fun.

He runs around the meadows and barks up at the sun.

"He chases after rabbits and always scares the cats

He likes to chew on old shoes and sometimes mother's hats.

But when we're tired of running and we're sitting on a log,

I sometimes get to thinking. . . 'I wish my daddy was a dog.'

" 'Cause then when I came home from school you'd run and lick my hand

And then we'd jump and holler and tumble in the sand

And then I'd be as happy as a little boy could be

If we could play the whole day through--just my dad and me.

"Now I know you have to work real hard to buy us food and clothes.

And you need to get the girls those fancy ribbons and bows.

But sometimes when I'm lonesome I think t'would be lots of fun,

If my daddy was a dog, and all his work was done."

Now when he'd finished speaking, he looked so lonely there,

I reached my hand out to him and ruffled up his hair.

And as I turned my head aside to brush away a tear,

I thought how nice it was to have my son so near.

I know the Lord didn't mean for man to toil his whole life through,

"Come on, my son I'm sure I have some time for you."

You should have seen the joy and sunlight in his eye,

As we went outside to play - just my son and I.

Now, as the years have swiftly flown and youth has slipped away,

I've tried always to remember to leave some time to play.

When I pause to reminisce and think of joys and strife,

I carefully turn the pages of this wanderer's book of life.

I find the richest entry recorded in that daily log,

Is the day that small boy whispered, "I wish my daddy was a dog."

The poem is sweet, but his delivery was so good and it worked so perfectly with that part of his message.

Lately things for Amy and I have been very relaxed as compared to how it all was just before the wedding, hectic. If anything, there is an abundance of love in our home because we've been able to spend so much time together lately. At certain spots it has felt a little slow, but I'm trying to savor it as much as possible because I'm sure it will be a short season before life speeds up again.

A couple weeks ago someone in my department at the Church Office Building recently retired, and his wife was remarking that it was the first time since he left to work for the Church that she felt like she had him back again. That was 33 years ago.

It's just kind of interesting to me the natural ebb and flow of life. That's all.