The Hour Glass Runs Out

Life felt cyclical, a never-ending hourglass that somehow rotated just before running out. After another day of school, my brother and I pulled into our driveway, picked up our mail,

My mom appeared to fidget.

Tick, tick, tick.

She motioned me and my brother toward the couch. She struggled to explain.

The subject was about my middle school friend's mom.

Slowly, the hourglass began its final rotation. “There was a problem during the operation. She passed away.” The last particles of sand settled, and the hourglass had stopped.

Meeting the family,

I expressed my condolences. I was asked to play the piano for the funeral service. I accepted.

The family members gathered around the closed casket and began to carry it toward the exit. As they walked, I began playing a hymn called, “God be with you ‘till we meet again.” One by one the family members placed their hands on my shoulder, extending their appreciation and grief.

For the first time, I felt that I was face-to-face with mortality.

It grabbed me, looked into my eyes, and showed me that human lives are short and unexpected.

I never truly felt its effects on my own life. But the funeral showed me that I was wrong and that I had one more lesson to learn:

live well

cherish others

you don’t know

when

the hourglass

will

run

out.