Before You Know It

My father used to tell me, "Love your children now because they will soon be gone." I had no idea what he meant. Where were they going? My son was four and my daughter was two so where were they going to go?

Many fond memories come to mind as I remember pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college. There were many teacher conferences and sitting in bleachers at soccer fields. The pain of seeing them as one by one they left home. One driving a big rig across the United States and the other in Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer. Yet, they still came home.

And then they were gone for good. At this point I finally understood Dad's comment. I often found myself repeating it to my children. Last night my phone buzzed to let me know I had a text message. It was my daughter letting me know my granddaughter's new address. My granddaughter had moved to a dorm to begin classes miles away from her family nest.

"You don't have to be great to start,

but you have to start to be great!"

Joe Sabah

Where had the time gone? How could it have moved so fast? My grandbaby who I remember spending time with her and watching her grow up, was going away to school. I watched as she developed into a beautiful young lady and seeing her filled me with pride. Now she was entering another phase in her life and so were her parents!

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown."

Pope John Paul II