It was Ernest Hemingway who said, “Time is the least thing we have of.”

We are now living in a 24/7/365 technology driven era yet we still complain that there’s just too much work with too little time to do it.

Our frustration is only compounded by the numerous unimportant things that steal our minutes and siphon the significance out of our hours. We think of those unnecessary things that take away important moments from us, things like filling our car with gas, getting a haircut, going to the dentist, taking those power suits to the laundry and a dozen time-consuming things that have to be done to keep us from doing things that are more meaningful and fulfilling.

Famous author Chuck Swindoll says that the average American, in a lifetime, will have spent 6 months waiting at stoplights, 8 months opening junk mail (and this is going higher every year. ) A year and a half looking for lost stuff, and 5 years standing in lines of various types considering the fact that these information is of many years ago. Maybe for you and I, brown skinned folks living in this tropical paradise called the Philippines, we have spent more than one half of our lifetime inside our cars in traffic.

But all those activities which we think are taking away precious time from us because they are mundane and useless are not!

How can we live the rest of our lives without having a haircut?

How can we not wait behind stoplights? Although pedicabs and motorcyclists don’t. How can we not gas up our cars? How can we not go to the dentist? There is actually no activity that is useless and insignificant. And we can either fuss or whine about all those waiting time or we can take the time we’ve got left and spend it wisely.

Do you know that taking a vacation is time spent wisely? Let me tell you why.

There was a time when I disliked long vacations? Most driven people I know feel the same way. I would even accept speaking invitations during the Lenten Season and then deprive myself of having a quality vacation time with my family.

But there was this one year when something happened. The Ilocana (my term of endearment for my wife Lilia) exerted herself and demanded that Holy Week will be exclusively for the family. Now her rule was simple. “NO GADGETS ALLOWED ON VACATION.” I grudgingly agreed for the sake of the kids. Together with our friends, we were all booked on a private and isolated island in Palawan for 5 days. There were no cell sites, no wi-fi and the biggest shocker of them all – no electricity! The small island had a generator that supplied limited electricity and it was turned off promptly 7pm of every night. I went into withdrawal. I have never parted with my cell phone and my laptop before. I wanted to sign up with “Workaholics Anonymous” but there was none in the island.

Executive tables and laptops gave way to beautiful beaches and corals. The stars were wonderfully bright as they put on a show every night. I wake up every morning to the chirping of the birds and the soft steady sound of the waves gently touching the shore and I was recharged. The kids loved every moment of it.

This event took place many years ago. From then on, I made it a point to take a few weeks off every year and go somewhere just to be with my family. Family vacation is now a serious tradition and everybody looks forward to it. Today, my kids are no longer kids. We’ve visited many countries, shopped in endless malls, viewed many scenic spots yet every time I ask them what particular vacation they enjoyed best? Hands down, the unanimous decision will always be those 5 days of stay in this secluded island that took place many years ago. Not because of the sea and the sand, not because of the birds and the corals but because I WAS REALLY WITH THEM. I spent time with them. I gave them my undivided attention and we all had a great time together. Today looking back I realize I did not just spend time with them, I invested time with them and the investment has been profitable.

So, throw away the guilt and take a really honest to goodness vacation this summer. Invest time with the people who matter to you the most. Create memories, have fun but make sure YOU ARE REALLY WITH THEM!

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Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife’s side when their baby was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain with his family?

Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, competing in the Olympics was the culmination of a life-long dream. But Bill felt conflicted and, after much soul-searching, decided to withdraw from the competition and remain home where he could support his wife when the child arrived. As it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was late in giving birth to their child. The birth was so late, in fact, that Bill could have competed in the event and returned home in time to be with her when she delivered.

People said, “What a shame.” But Bill said he had no regrets. For the rest of his life, he believed he had made the better decision. Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. There is an interesting sequel to the story.

The child eventually born to Bill and his wife was a boy, whom they named Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill received a cablegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The cablegram read: “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be born.”

Frank Havens had just won the gold medal for the United States in the canoe-racing event, a medal his father had dreamed of winning but never did.

Once a champion always a champion if not now then through the next generation.

This beautiful story by Steve Goodier in his E-newsletter entitled “The Life Support System” reminds us of what is most important in life.

I have a great relationship with my son.

Two years ago, the two of us co-wrote a book on “Paren-teen” and we had fun doing it. The book is entitled: “Why Don’t You Grow Up… Dad!”
I’m proud of him and I see the maturity he shows as the years go by.

He’s into a lot of things now. Totally business minded he enjoys working for a very successful company doing marketing stuffs and meanwhile pursues his passion for music as he plays the drums for a fast rising popular band. He’s into sports too. He does Brazilian Jujitsu, Capuera and boxing and the day he went into martial arts was the day I have decided to be kinder to him.

He tells me he wants to have his own family by the time he hits 30 so that’s a good many years away but that is the precise reason why I am so careful with the way I live. I have to be an example to him because I want him to have a successful family too.

He sees me as a businessman and he likes to be one too and that’s good.

He sees me taking good care of my health and he does the same thing and that’s good too.

But the one thing I want to see in him is that he will have a God-centered family one day and this is why I need to make sure that mine is today.

My son and I know that real men are not those you see fooling around with other women; real men are those who are big enough and brave enough to stay true to their roles as a faithful husband to his wife and a diligent father to his kids.

HERE ARE THE TEN TOP THINGS THAT MAKE A REAL MAN:

10. Comes home directly from work knowing his “real” job is about to start.

9. Is not afraid to get down on hands and knees and play “horsie”.

8. Kisses his children and shows them a man can be gentle.

7. Kisses his wife in front of his children so the children can be secure in the knowledge of a united home.

6. Hugs his family and says “I love you.”

5. Is not afraid to cry.

4. Goes with his family to church.

3. Values the advice of his wife.

2. Starts each day with a “quiet time”, talking to the Lord.

And the number one thing:
1. Willing to give his own life for his family.

The question now is how are you doing in this list?

Take advantage of the Lenten season to be with your family. You have to plan and schedule time with your family well just as you do with business commitments. Let the words of businessman Lee Iacocca be a reminder for all of us for this is what he says: “No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity, if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?”

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