Wasted time is lost time

I wrote this editorial in response to a local death underground.
The man was a lovely, family man - his wife was a workmate and one of our employee's husbands was working alongside him, took a smoko, and came back and he was gone on.
It hit us all hard...

As we were tragically reminded this week by the death of local father of two Karl Eibl, time is limited.
You can’t take it with you - or so the proverb goes. But what will you leave behind?
For those of us with children - what are we leaving them?
And I’m not talking about investments and trust accounts - all that can be arranged with a quick trip to your local bank or financial advisor.
There’s a more precious investment our children need to bank on for a solid future.
Have we given them all the love, confidence and a sense of self that they are going to need if we’re not around for them as they grow? That’s something Karl knew how to do.
He was a man who celebrated family every day.
While his children will miss out on growing up with their Dad, they will never doubt how much he loved them when he was here.
Can yours and my children say the same thing?
It’s a close call in a town like this where so many families have two working parents and a plethora of commitments.
But there are ways to be involved in your child’s life - in all aspects of his or her life - even when you’re pressured for time.
And trust me, I’m not preaching - I’m trying to take my own advice on this one.
Don’t just drop your child off at sport - stay on the sidelines or even lend a hand. It’s not always cool, I know, but it’s always (at least secretly) appreciated and it will be remembered forever.
A very smart man called Stephen Biddulph wrote that ‘quality time’ is a myth - and what children want is ‘quantity’.
They want to do the shopping with you, stand alongside you while you wash the dishes, chat to you while you fix the car - so please, let them. Read the newspaper aloud, and then let your child read aloud to you while you cook up dinner.
Read, talk, explain, flick through family albums, bring them along to work for a visit once in a while, and join them at school when you can.
Find time! Because if your time runs out - you want to leave a lot of love behind.