This incident occurred in a matter of ten minutes; but it reminded me of the wonder of the gift of time.  The joy of the moment brought back many memories and made me realize how much we take time for granted.  What will happen in your life in the next ten minutes?  I pray that one of the things that happens will be a moment of praise to the God who invented and gave us time.

Memories in Time

As we stepped through the door we entered a different world. For me, the sound of the French language, which was being spoken fluently, whisked me to another time and place. But the new world we had entered was not ‘remembered times’ in a beautiful land, but the wonder of a bygone era. For this world was resounding with ticking clocks.

From tiny, exquisite carriage clocks to wonderful, stately grandfather clocks, the whole place continuously pulsated with the rhythm of time.

As we walked around, marvelling at the beauty and variety of the clocks with their pendulums visibly showing the passing of the minutes and hours, one of the clocks in another room chimed with a deep, resonant tone. Dong! The sound made us check the time. It was midday, and during the next five minutes every clock in this enchanting establishment chimed twelve.   With whirrs and sighs, each mechanism built up the energy to declare its message to the world. There were bells and mid-range chimes – even a cuckoo! Each clock revealed its character as it rang out the hour.

Many chimed at once – but there was a moment’s silence in the song and one magnificent grandfather rang out alone. Deep and sonorous, it sounded the Westminster chimes. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the grounds of the much loved Abbey as the clock on the riverbank sang out its song to a bustling London. The chimes brought more memories to mind as I stood still and listened.

The song began to thin and gradually ended, but each clock ticked on, in a gentle harmony of sound.

We smiled at each other in delight. For me, memories had washed over me in an unexpected way in an unusual place and I had been warmed by them. I saw the interlude as yet another gift from a generous God who delights to delight us. The experience itself and the memories it raised were a special moment and my heart sang ‘praise God from whom all blessings flow’.