Time: The Most Priceless and Deeply Heartfelt Gift We Can Give

Why time is one of the greatest gifts we have to give.

Photo: © Mary Ann Rollano

Time and tide wait for no man.

—Geoffrey Chaucer

Hurricane Sandy damaged much of the Jersey Shore with 80 mph winds and extreme flooding in late October 2012, bringing a feeling of temporal disarray that swept over everyone. The usual sense of continuity of time was disrupted.

The 1930s storm-tattered garage pictured here is time-worn but remains standing, even after Hurricane Sandy. It has endured time. (The clock is slightly upside down but has survived.)

Time is central to our lives. Are we enduring time or yielding to it?

Time is much more than an interval of measurement. It creates memories that honor life’s small joys. It is the most valuable intangible, yet here’s the irony—time can’t be bought or sold. Every major event, milestone, birthday, anniversary, birth, and funeral is marked and celebrated by the passing of time, …