Let us value the moments of life – sent to eLanka by Charles Schokman
A man
was dying;
when he realized
he was dying,
he saw God
holding a box in His hand.
God said:
“It’s time to go.”
The man said:
“So soon?
I had so many plans.”
God said:
“Sorry, but
it’s time to go!”
The man asked God:
“What’s in your box?”
God replied:
“Your belongings.”
The man asked:
“My belongings?
You mean:
all my things?
My clothes,
my money, and so on?”
God said:
“Those are no longer yours!
They belong to the earth.”
The man said:
“What about my memories?”
God replied:
“They belong to time.”
The man asked:
“My family
and friends?”
God said:
“No,
they were temporary!”
The man asked:
“What about my wife
and children?”
God replied:
“They belong to your heart.”
The man asked again:
“So surely the contents of the box
are my body parts, right?”
God said:
“No;
they belong to dust!”
The man said:
“Then surely it’s my soul?”
God replied:
“Wrong!
Your soul belongs to Me.”
The man,
with tearful eyes
and great fear,
took the box from God
and opened it,
only to find it empty.
The man,
with a broken heart, said:
“I never had anything?”
God replied:
“That’s right,
you owned nothing.
The man asked:
“So, what did I have?”
God replied:
“The moments of life
were yours.
Every moment
that you lived
was yours.
Life is
just moments;
treasure
the moments
and love
the moments.
What has passed,
became the past!
Sadly, it passed
without attention,
but it passed!
And when we
wanted to reflect
on ‘just a couple of days,’
the sign on the door said:
⇦ Passed Away ⇨
Let us treasure each other …
… and the good moments we share.
This text won the German Short Literary Award.
Dedicated to all noble and wise individuals.
Let us value the moments of life.
