On his
deathbed Alexander the Great summoned his generals and told them his three
ultimate wishes:
The best
doctors should carry his coffin;
The wealth he
had accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the
way to his burial; and
His hands
should be left hanging outside the coffin for all to see.
Surprised by
these unusual requests, one of his generals asked Alexander to explain.
Here is what
he said:
"I want
the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that in the face of death;
even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal;
"I want
the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that the wealth
acquired on earth, stays on earth.
"I want
my hands to swing in the wind so that people understand that we come to this
world empty-handed and we leave empty-handed
after the most precious treasure of all is exhausted....time."
Time is our
most precious treasure because it is limited. We can produce more wealth, but
we cannot produce more time.
When we give
someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never
take back. Our time is our life!
The best
present you can give your family and friends is your time.
May we all have the wisdom to give it.
