I knew this day would come. I prepared for it. I got advice about it. Through the years I gave all my attention, care and love. I appreciated the time together, tried not to take it for granted.
Some days were long, messy and hard, others were fun and easy. Like the ocean tide, there were highs and lows. There is no stopping the tide; its dependable wake leaves a fresh shore, a clean start.
Where has the time gone? The running clock of life does not pause. It feels like yesterday when I brought you home. We have done a lot together, and I will always cherish the time we spent together.
What day am I referring to you ask . . . the day my 20-year-old washer and dryer stopped working and the day my oldest child started his senior year of high school. Two very different milestones, that feel strangely intertwined in the chronology of my life. It signals the end of an era and means I must welcome a new, different era.
I have always tried to find joy in the minutia and the grand because life is mostly a series of average, simple, everyday moments. I’ll get used to the new washer and dryer just like I will accept, that after all these years, senior year is here. Time stops for no one, so the only option is to accept it and grow with it. My oldest is ready for this year and the future beyond. Am I ready? It doesn’t matter, I have to be. I’m excited to watch him and his peers spread their wings and find their respective paths towards the future.
To my comrades with 2025 graduates; enjoy the ride. We have taught them how to fly, they will find their way. The nest will never truly be empty. The day to day may change, but a family is an unbreakable unit with a permanent bond.
They made it. We made it. We should all be proud. I also expect there will soon be less laundry!