Every November, we are reminded that time is something we cannot truly control. The annual ritual of “falling back” for daylight saving time offers a brief illusion that we have gained an hour. Yet, what we are really doing is adjusting how we measure the passage of time, not the reality of it.
Recently, I came across a story about one of America’s oldest working clocks, located at the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Built in 1746, it still ticks steadily, keeping time for the town as it has for nearly three centuries. Unlike the phones in our pockets or the digital displays on our smart appliances, this clock does not reset itself automatically. When daylight saving time ends, a caretaker must climb into the tower and turn the clock back by hand.
That image of a person standing among gears and pendulums, carefully resetting the hour, stayed with me. It reflects a kind of intentionality that has mostly disappeared from modern life. Our devices update themselves without effort, but the clock in Bethlehem still depends on the thoughtful action of someone who knows what they are doing.
This simple act of adjusting the time also mirrors how we manage the passage of our own lives. When it comes to planning for the future, some systems operate automatically while others require a deliberate hand.
In estate law, Probate is much like the manual adjustment of that old clock. When someone passes away without a trust, their estate enters a process that is public, structured, and reliant on outside oversight. Every step must be reviewed and confirmed by the court. The process works, but it is slow, and it depends on others to ensure that the timing and execution are right.
A trust, by contrast, functions like the digital world we now inhabit. Once set up correctly, it operates privately and efficiently, distributing assets according to your wishes without court involvement. It is a system that runs quietly in the background, requiring no public intervention when the time comes.
The distinction between these two systems is the difference between relying on an ancient clock that must be wound by hand and one that quietly updates itself overnight. Both measure the same hours, but one requires human intervention and effort while the other functions automatically when the need arises.
The Central Moravian Church Clock has kept time for nearly 280 years. It has survived wars, weather, and the march of progress because someone continues to give it attention. In the same way, a well-considered estate plan endures. It keeps working even when we are no longer here to make the adjustments ourselves.
As we set our clocks back this season, we might pause to think about what time really means in the context of our own lives. We can change the hour on a dial, but we cannot turn back time itself. What we can do is take the time we have now to ensure that what matters most to us will continue running smoothly, even when we no longer have a hand on the mechanism.
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References
Image Credit: iStockphoto.com / DenisTangneyJr
Historic Towns of America. (n.d.). Oldest Town Clock in America: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://historictownsofamerica.com/oldest-town-clock
U.S. National Park Service & Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognitions (as cited in Historic Towns of America, n.d.).
