Every once in a while, I either hear something or read something that causes me to pause, stop, and take the time to really reflect on what is important in life.
Yesterday at the 11:30am mass at Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish in Wilmette I had one of those occurrences.

Father Wayne Watts shared an experience he had at a wedding reception on Saturday. In addition to the typical cheers, toasts, and dances, the bridegroom, Dr. Bradley Campbell, gave a short speech that impressed Father Wayne so much that he read the speech as part of his homily after our bible readings.

Dr. Campbell’s words impressed me enough that I asked Fr. Wayne if he could share the speech with me so I could include it in my post for this week. I love the simplicity of reflecting on life as a balance of LOVE and TIME. I think it applies to all of us, regardless of our age, gender, race, or religious beliefs:

“Working as a doctor, I get the rare privilege of hearing some of the most personal, raw emotions, secrets, and life stories that most people won’t even tell to their spouse, priest, therapist, or even their dog. I see their highest of highs and lowest of lows.

Every once in awhile, we have patients who leave a permanent mark on us. I’ve told this story before, but it’s worth repeating. One of my patients was dying from a rare genetic condition, and he wanted to leave humanity with a profound message. His words were:

‘As I’ve come closer to my end, the meaning of life has become simple: the balance of two things — Love and Time. Love without Time is a tragedy, and Time without Love is a prison.’

I think of this quote every single day, and I want all of you to feel it, and know it to be true.

For some, God is love, and I think that also applies.

My intention with the rest of this speech is to inspire you to love more, love deeper, and rekindle the love that we all have inside of us. I feel strongly that we are all pure love at our core. We all have the capacity to connect to God’s love, however you relate to that word.

That said, I would love for us to share in a brief moment of collective love.

If all we have is love and time, then let’s take a brief moment of time and silence to just feel Love in its fullest sense. Imagine filling up your heart, body, and this entire room with pure Love for the next 30 seconds.

(Pause for 30 seconds of self-reflection)

If that was 30 seconds, imagine how you’d feel doing this practice all day. Let this feeling, this practice, ripple after tonight into the rest of your life. Think about what you love doing the most and do it. Where you love being the most, and go there. Who you love the most, and be with them. And remember the time we have with each other is limited. Life to me really has become ALL about the balance of love and time. It’s that simple, it’s that easy, and it can be that beautiful.”

Dr. Bradley Campbell

Thank you, Dr. Bradley, for sharing these words with us!! And congratulations on your wedding!

Balance | Blog | Self Reflection