TIME IN A BOTTLE

(WARNING:  Long & Sentimental)

In 1970, Jim Croce wrote this song when his wife told him she was expecting their first child.  It was released on his first album "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" in 1972.  Terry and I met and started dating in May, 1973 but he owned this 8-track and loved listening to it.

As the months passed and we began to fall in love, Time In A Bottle was "our song".  The lyrics seemed to say all the things we felt for each other.  We continued to listen to it for all the years we were together.

Terry and I had some wonderful adventures together.  We shared some heartbreaking moments together.  But we loved, never failing, never backing away, never giving up.  We loved.

We loved our Lord, we loved each other, we loved our family, we loved our church and our church family, we loved our neighbors and friends.

We built a life based upon that love.

On this date 10 years ago, January 26, 2009, that love did not end but it transformed into eternal love when he went home to be with Jesus.  I can barely believe it has been 10 years, yet it seems like a lifetime.  I look at pictures of him, of us, and all our family and friends sharing wonderful times together.

Memories are all I have now, and pictures.  Pictures that remind me of the blessing I had in him and the goodness God imparted to me when he brought him into my life.  Mementoes of a life lived sharing love and happiness, and yes, sad times and trying times as well.

I listen to that song now and tears roll down my face. We never dreamed our time would end so quickly.  We planned on a lifetime together.  Growing old together and spoiling every child we could in the process!

My nephew, Jared, and I were talking the other day about how much we missed Mamaw and Papaw Mac and Uncle Terry. 

Terry’s nickname for our only niece was Blonde Bombshell.  He loved our Katie to the ends of the earth!  He would not leave this world until he had a chance to see her one more time.  I have been told that the nickname was an insult by someone who did not know Terry well or know how he loved that little girl! He did not love Katie more than our nephews, but because she was the only niece, and because he saw the boys more often, she was special to him.

Jared was saying how he could just hear Uncle Terry’s laugh as the girls scampered around the house and see his smile as they came running up to him to wrap their arms around him and hug him tightly.  He said “I can hear Uncle Terry now and that laugh he had and him calling the girls Blonde Bombshell!  It’s for sure, Terry would have loved all the great-grands just as much he loved the grands!

 He had the opportunity to get to know both of Katie and Brian’s children before he left us. He celebrated a birthday with our nephew Caleb (16) and our grand-niece Allyson (2) in March, 2008. He held Allyson briefly but was afraid he would drop her.

When Katie and Brian visited on that day in December 2018, he was so glad to see them and the children.  He was so sick by that time that he didn’t laugh like he usually did or joke around, but it comforted him that he got to see them one last time before he went home.

I miss Terry, every day, every hour.  I don’t think that will ever change.  I still cry myself to sleep on some nights because I miss him so badly.  However, life goes on and we must go on as well.  And I have.

I am so thankful to the Lord for giving Terry to me if only for a while.  That’s all we really have here anyway, a while.  Some of us will be here longer than others but all of us will leave.  I am thankful that I live with assurance that when I go home to Jesus, I know Terry will be there too.

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."       Genesis 2:24  KJV