Brandon’s Gift of Time

It is hard to fathom that it has been 16 years since we experienced the great loss of our son, Brandon. He died in a car crash on I-75 in Dalton, Georgia. He was away from college, between his sophomore and junior years, for one year. During that time, he served as a Task Force Assistant Chaplain at Georgia Cumberland Academy.

At a recent Christmas gathering, we decided to look at our family videos of Christmas 2004. It was our last Christmas together with Brandon. I didn’t realize that we had caught it all on video—Brandon giving a gift to each one of us. Brandon gave each of us the gift of “time.”

Brandon’s Gifts

First, Brandon gave each of us a symbolic gift with a note as a hint of how he was going to spend time with each one, before heading back to Georgia. He told us that since he was so far away from us and was a “poor” college student, what better gift than to give the gift of time?

To his sister Emily, he gave a set of cloth basketball wristbands with a note saying, “Three hours—midday afternoon.” His sister Trisha received her own set of soccer goalie gloves with the same note. His mom Lynae received a set of bike gloves with the same note. His brother Ryan received snowboard socks with a note saying “Seven hours.” And I, his dad, received a book about airplanes and a note saying “Three hours—morning.”

Cherish Your Relationships

So Brandon’s gift to each one of us was to spend time doing the activities that each gift symbolized! This was such a creative way to give each one of us the gift of “time.” Did he have a premonition of something looming around the corner? You can see why we really cherish these memories! You just never know what’s coming, so cherish your family, your friends, and your relationships!

As I was cherishing these memories, it struck me how Jesus has given us the gift of “time” to each one of us! He wants to spend time with us. He says in Revelation 3:20 (NLT), “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends.” May we allow Jesus into our lives every day to enjoy His gift of “time.”

If you liked this, you might also like The Gift of Time | Your Time Is the Greatest Christmas Gift You Can Give 

Jim Moor writes from the Pacific Northwest.

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