{"id":5086,"date":"2013-05-08T16:51:12","date_gmt":"2013-05-08T20:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/?p=5086"},"modified":"2013-05-08T21:44:39","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T01:44:39","slug":"time-in-a-bottle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2013\/05\/time-in-a-bottle.html","title":{"rendered":"Time In A Bottle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I was sitting in a wooden pew, a few rows behind my best friend Barb\u00a0and her family; we honored the life and passing of her father, Ralph. A little more than a month earlier, we were gathered around festively decorated tables, celebrating his 90th birthday. In the interceding weeks, life energy ebbed from him and last week he made his opening farewell and moved on to wherever his Spirit now resides. The presiding priest of the sacrament of\u00a0 the Catholic faith that\u00a0Ralph embraced, assured those present that “God’s servant was now with his savior.” His voice, likely having recited\u00a0 the funeral mass countless times, was soothing, as were the prayers that were familiar to most there. A specific hymn reached my heart, since it was one that we sang at my ordination from The New Seminary,\u00a0as an interfaith minister in 1999; called Here I Am, Lord<\/em>. The service ended with the singing of Let There Be Peace On Earth<\/em>. My experience of Ralph was that although he was not an overtly religious man, he did seem to be a peaceful man.<\/p>\n

During the service, I took note of the line of heads from left to right of Barb, her husband Glenn, their son Alex; a student at Ohio State, Cady; my\u00a014 year old\u00a0God-daughter, Blake, in her first year at Temple University, and 7 year old Darah. The words to the Jim Croce song Time In A Bottle<\/em>, ran through my head. Wishing I could capture memory and hold it literally, rather than figuratively in my mind. Barb and I met nearly 40 years ago on our competing community swim teams as we sat on the bench waiting to swim our events.\u00a0 We joked that we “swam on different teams together.” Hard to say what brought together a Catholic\u00a0 parochial school educated kid and a Jewish public school\u00a0kid in such an enduringly bonded friendship. We had swimming, music, being the oldest of two (she has a younger brother and I have a younger sister), feeling a bit weird in a world of ‘normal’ people, \u00a0in common. We loved singing along to records of musicals. It was she who introduced me to Jesus Christ Superstar and last year we saw the musical Godspell on Broadway. \u00a0Jewish holidays were spent with my family, Catholic holidays with hers.\u00a0For\u00a0a few years, in my\u00a0late teens, \u00a0I was in relationship with Paul\u00a0who went to her Catholic High School. \u00a0Interesting the trajectory of her life led her to marry a Jewish man, send their children to Hebrew School; the oldest three having become Bar and Bat Mitzvot, the fourth, 5\u00a0years off yet. A few years ago, Barb converted to Judaism. As I watched her move through the inevitable doorway to becoming an ‘adult orphan’; her mom died more than 6 years ago, \u00a0I noticed the same ‘get through it’ energy that I experienced when I crossed that threshold myself\u00a0two and a half years ago.<\/p>\n

It reminded me that ‘everyone is on loan to us’, as I was informed more than 14 years ago, when facing my husband’s death. It brought home ever so clearly that I need not waste time wondering ‘what it’ and instead embrace ‘what is’. In that way I can fully imbibe the sweet contents of each bottle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If I could save time in a bottle<\/p>\n

The first thing that I’d like to do<\/p>\n

Is to\u00a0 save every day<\/p>\n

Till Eternity passes away<\/p>\n

Just to spend them with\u00a0 you<\/p>\n

If I could make days last forever<\/p>\n

If words could make wishes come\u00a0 true<\/p>\n

I’d save every day like a treasure and then,<\/p>\n

Again, I would spend\u00a0 them with you<\/p>\n

But there never seems to be enough time<\/p>\n

To do the things\u00a0 you want to do<\/p>\n

Once you find them<\/p>\n

I’ve looked around enough to\u00a0 know<\/p>\n

That you’re the one I\u00a0 want to go Through time with<\/p>\n

If I had a box just for wishes<\/p>\n

And\u00a0 dreams that had never come true<\/p>\n

The box would be empty<\/p>\n

Except for the\u00a0 memory<\/p>\n

Of how they were answered by you
\nBut there never seems to be\u00a0 enough time<\/p>\n

To do the things you want to do<\/p>\n

Once you find them I’ve\u00a0 looked around enough to know<\/p>\n

That you’re the one I want to go Through time\u00a0 with<\/p>\n

Songwriter(s)<\/span>: Jim Croce<\/em> Copyright<\/span>: Denjac Music\u00a0 Company<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I1YxczPEPrs<\/a> Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  As I was sitting in a wooden pew, a few rows behind my best friend Barb\u00a0and her family; we honored the life and passing of her father, Ralph. A little more than a month earlier, we were gathered around festively decorated tables, celebrating his 90th birthday. 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. 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