Time keeps on drifting into the future...

I love my evolving "senior" status at work and other places too. One of the things I truly enjoy is listening to young moms and dads speak of their children. This is especially true if the children are young and the parents are sharing their joy and excitement at all the self discovery, the many "firsts" they experience or stories of new milestones. It's such a nice personal glimpse into their lives as family.

Every now and then I'll get asked how does it play out when the kids grow up, or how did you handle this or that, what did high school bring, how did you handle college or the one that always gets to me: did it seem like they grew up too fast.

I guess it is a matter of perspective. Wendy and I have been quasi empty nesters now for a few years. Our oldest, Jimmy (everyone calls him James; something we never did) has been gone now for 6 years. He has a strong practice in veterinary medicine, lives in North Carolina and loves nothing more than to hunt and fish. He still makes it home every July for the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo. His exciting news is he recently bought a home and is to be married in a little more than six months from now. Oh yea, it seems like yesterday that I brought him to his first ballgame or we watched him showing his pony at his first horse show. Trust me, like yesterday.

Elizabeth is our daughter, about 11 years younger than Jimmy and a good student in her junior year at LSU. She has plans. She is a history major, is getting ready to go to Europe next summer and living with good friends in her first apartment. Oh yea, it seems like yesterday that we were dropping her off for her first day of school, or chasing after her at yet another dance recital or on the dance team at her high school. Trust me, like yesterday.

Rarely does my little family get a chance to all be together at one time in one place. It did happen last Christmas and won't happen again until the wedding. But we all have been together in part several times and that opportunity will happen again this week as Wendy and I visit Jimmy in his new home. And soon after our return, we will see Elizabeth again even though she gets busier and busier as the semester rushes to it's conclusion.

Moms and Dads of youngsters: love your children and cherish the present. The future will be here soon enough but don't focus on that; stay in the moment. Plan for the future yes, but don't hurry it along. Yes, time keeps on drifting into the future...