Time In A Bottle.

Singer and songwriter, Jim Croce, wrote the song "Time In A Bottle" for his unborn son, Adrian.  Jim had just completed a concert in Louisiana on the night of September 20, 1973, when he was scheduled to fly to Texas for a concert at Austin College.  He and five other members of his entourage boarded a small plane and upon takeoff from the airport, despite excellent visibility, the plane did not gain enough altitude to clear a tree at the end of the runway.

On that fateful evening, the pilot and all passengers were killed instantly.  Jim’s short career ended at the young age of 30.  He left behind a grieving wife and his little son.  Croce’s legacy of songs can still be heard on the airwaves today and there’s a haunting connection between the lyrics of “Time In A Bottle” and his untimely death.

How wonderful it would be if we could keep time in a bottle, but unfortunately, time is expendable.  It can only be used once and then it becomes a part of the past.  We waste it, abuse it, lose it, track it, monitor it, budget it, rationalize it, and so on, but in all the ways time can be used, there’s one thing for certain, there are no substitutions for it’s loss.

There are selfless and noble parents who would sacrifice their remaining time upon this earth, to restore that precious time to a dying child.  When a moment in time is spent, that moment is gone forever and only the residue of precious memories remain.  

Someone once asked the question, “If you knew your life was coming to a close in a few short weeks, how would you spend your last days?”  I believe there are many who would relinquish all their earthly possessions and untold wealth to have another sweet taste of time.  

Maybe we would hold our babies just a little longer or play those silly little games our children ask us to play.  Maybe we would reevaluate what is important and take a moment in time to visit the widow across the street, who waits daily for someone to care.  Perhaps we would share our abundance with others when there is evidence they are struggling.  I believe that we would reach so far outside of ourselves to help others, that we would touch the hand of God.

If you have ever sat by the bedside of someone who is leaving this life, then you know and understand how clear their perspective and perception becomes.  The sun rising in the morning is their miracle and they watch all the beauties of nature as though they had never seen them before!  


Many times I have heard the broken words, “If I just had a little more time!” Unfortunately, this lifetime does not last forever and we may not have sufficient warning when that final hour is upon us.  Jim Croce's life was over in the blink of an eye and the memories of Jim are distant shadows of a life that once was.  


"Live each moment in time as if it were your last."
     by, Linda Sumner Urza, One Fine Day

                Jim Croce, his wife and little son, Adrian.