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Time waits for no man
One of the relentless things about life is that it is passing. Time spends itself no matter what we do with it. It moves at its own pace, and we can’t “save” any part of it. The only part we play in its passing is the purpose to which we put it. We can waste it or use it well. We can fill it full or leave it empty and idle. We can use it for the right things or for the wrong things. And since we can’t “save” it, since it is going to pass at its own pace anyway, we had just as well decide to make the most of it. Young people sometimes let the best years for practice and preparation slip by. And perhaps most of us who are older have realised later in life that some things would have been much easier for us if we had taken time for them when we were younger. Increasing responsibilities force us more and more to care for pressing problems rather than pursue our own preferences. More and more we are crowded into making a living, with less and less time for preparing to make one. And it is discouraging when a man with heavy obligations must try to acquire the training that he could have had and should have had in his youth. Of course many men have recovered from a late start, successfully and heroically and it can and will be done by many more. But often, much of what we have to do could have been done easy earlier. And in looking back we can sometimes see how much time we wasted in doing things that didn’t mean much. Time is much like manna: We can’t hoard it. We can’t save it. The Lord allots each day its own supply. We can use it as it comes or let it waste away. And in making our choices we must remember all along the way that if we choose to do some things, we choose in effect to pass up other things, because time is too short to do everything we would like to do.
Time is the very essence of all our opportunities. And we had better do earlier the things that are easier to do earlier, and not forever be living our lives just a little too late.
A high school student learned a valuable lesson as he took a college entrance exam a few months ago. The night before the test, he read through the instructions he had received. He verified the time the exam would start. He sharpened his pencils. He put his calculator in his backpack.
He felt ready for the early-morning test. The next day, as the test began, the teacher invited the students to use their calculators on the math section. The young man pulled his calculator out and pressed the power button. But the screen remained blank. He tried again. Nothing. And then the shocking reality hit—the batteries were dead, and he had no replacements!
He would need to do the math section the old-fashioned way—with paper and pencil. He learned something that day and it had nothing to do with math, science, or reading comprehension. He learned about the value of preparation. He thought he was prepared, but when the crucial moment came, he faced a problem he had not anticipated.
He learned that sometimes being prepared means foreseeing the unforeseen. Most of us have found ourselves in similar circumstances. We feel comfortable about our lives until a disaster or misfortune makes food, fuel, or resources hard to come by. And it’s not only tragedies that require our preparation— sometimes an opportunity arises, and we find that our lack of preparation may have closed doors and limited our future. So how do we prepare? By focusing on things of greatest worth. By placing more value in people than in things. By reading and pondering words that strengthen us spiritually. By taking care of our emotional and physical well-being, living within our means, and enriching our minds through lifelong learning. All this and more will bolster our ability to get through the challenges and seize the opportunities.
The rain falls, and the sun shines, on all of us to varying degrees throughout our life. Now is the time to think carefully about the future and how to create our best life. Now is the time to prepare. This is our time, our season. We can’t really go back to another time or trade places with someone else, but we can enjoy the present and meet the future with faith. The wisdom of the Psalmist echoes through the ages: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; [let us] rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
By Samuel Enos Eghan
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
