ONCE YOU READ THIS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!
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 Miller 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.
I want to thank each and every IDO member for their time, the time it takes to answer a question I may or someone else may have. The time to post the results of the time you spent on the water, and even the time to just say a simple Good Morning 
This is a special site with a lot of special people. That may sound a little mushy to some but I really enjoy my time interacting with the people on IDO and reading the posts almost every day
I’m a moderator on a couple other hunting and trapping sites. The people don’t compare to the contributions made here! Thanks to everyone that drives to to learn more!!!