Too Fast and Too Soon

As I sit here so early in the morning, I find myself thinking about my oldest granddaughter because it is her birthday today. She is turning eight, but it is almost impossible for me to believe that eight years have past. I still remember the joy and happiness that she gave me by merely saying “grandpa” for the first time, or how special I feel when she smiles and laughs at my clowning around. She is a wonderful little girl and I wish her the greatest birthday ever.

Yes, birthdays make me nostalgic, but remembering the past helps one to focus on the present. For example, with our kids, it seemed like they were grown and moving out of the house in what seemed a blink of an eye. At one moment, your kids are enthusiastically following you around, asking questions about everything and anything. Soon, however, friends and popular media garner your child's enthusiastic attention. It is a part of growing up, but it happens so quickly that parents are frequently taken by surprise when their kids no longer look at them as the absolute authority on everything.

This is where remembering the past can be useful. I know that it will not be very long before my granddaughter is more concerned about talking to her friends than she is with talking to her old grandpa. As was said earlier, it is a part of growing up. Yet, knowing that this is the way of things, I am more resolved to enjoy all the time with her that is possible. If age accounts for any kind of wisdom, the one thing that I have learned from my life is that we must make the most of the time that we have with those we love the most.