by Brooketail » Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:35 am
Subject: Fw: the gold box
A young man learns
what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some
time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got
in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.
There, in the rush
of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time
to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could
stop him.
Over the phone,
his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night The funeral is Wednesday." Memories
flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his
childhood days.
"Jack, did you
hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom.
Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly
thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't
forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about
the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old
house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack,
after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence
in your life," she said
"He's the one who
taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for
him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom,
I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was,
he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral
was small and uneventful He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives
had passed away.
The night before
he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next
door one more time.
Standing in the
doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension,
a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step
held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong,
Jack?" his Mom asked..
"The box is gone,"
he said
"What box?" Mom
asked.
"There was a small
gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk I must have asked him a thousand
times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack
said.
It was gone. Everything
about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box.. He figured
someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never
know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an
early flight home, Mom."
It had been about
two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered
a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please
stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next
day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been
mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return
address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out
to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.
Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death,
please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I
valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing,
as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found
a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers
slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these
words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for
your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued
most was...my time"
Jack held the watch
for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next
two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time
to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way,
Janet, thanks for your time!"
"Life is not measured
by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"
Think about this. You may not realize it, but
it's 100% true.
1. At least 2 people
in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 people
in this world love you in some way.
3. A smile from you
can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
4. Every night, SOMEONE
thinks about you before they go to sleep.
5. You mean the world
to someone.
6. If not for you, someone
may not be living.
7. You are special and
unique.
8. When you think you
have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust
God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or
something better.
9. When you make the
biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
10. When you think the
world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back
on the world.
11. Someone that you
don't even know exists loves you.
12. Always remember the
compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
13. Always tell
someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll
both be happy.
14. If you have a great
friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.
Send this letter
to all the people you care about, if you do so, you will certainly brighten someone's
day and might change their perspective on life...for the better.
To everyone I sent
this to " Thanks for your
time".
