Matthew’s parents had arrived in Canada, and his wife, Alice, had just given birth to their second child. Their eldest son, Chacko, was in sixth grade. Every day, the school bus dropped him at the doorstep precisely at 3:00 PM.

The Panic

But that day – the second Monday of November – when Ammachi (Grandmother) glanced at the clock, it read 3:20 PM. Chacko had not arrived.

Worried, Ammachi stepped outside to look for her grandson. By the time the clock showed 4:10 PM, Chacko had reached home.

Appachan (Grandfather) asked, “Where is Ammachi? “

Chacko and Appachan went out searching but could not find her.

The Call

Chacko called Matthew and explained what had happened. Matthew immediately dialed emergency services and informed the police. The police officer asked for Ammachi’s details. Matthew provided all the descriptions and added, “She is wearing a nightie.” Somehow, he managed to explain to the officer what a nightie was.

“A 60 year old lady walking on the streets in a nightie,” it was a difficult pill for the Canadian police officer to swallow.

Three police cruisers soon circled the neighbourhood, searching. And there they found her – Ammachi, shivering from the cold, sitting alone in a bus shelter. The officer gently placed her in the warm car and brought her home.

The Explanation

On the first Sunday of November at 2:00 AM, clocks in Canada move back by one hour for Daylight Saving Time. That morning, every clock in the house should have been set back by an hour.

Matthew had forgotten to do this.

Computers, cell phones, and car clocks adjust themselves automatically. But wall clocks with hands and a face do not. They must be turned forward in second Sunday of March and backward in first Sunday of November – by hand, by memory, by care.

That day, the clocks in Matthew’s home were still running on yesterday’s time. Ammachi, trusting the wall clock, had stepped out an hour too early.

The Lesson

The missing grandmother was found. The family was reunited. And Matthew learned, as many have before him, that Daylight Saving Time is not just about changing clocks, but about remembering—because sometimes, the cost of forgetting is far greater than an hour lost.