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Photo by Jenn Carpenter
Even if you don’t have children of your own, chances are you know at least one or two. So I’m confident you’ll all know what I mean when I say that those sneaky little things have a way of changing right in front of your eyes without you even realizing it.
In my 13+ years as a mother, I can’t tell you how many mornings I’ve woken up to find that one of my kids had grown a few inches, gained a few pounds, or gone up a few shoe sizes overnight. My children have made a habit out of growing, changing, and getting older without me even noticing. Sometimes, though, the changes they go through are big ones. Sometimes, I can’t help but take notice of how fast my babies are growing up.
Like this summer, for instance. This summer, my 13 year old changed from a little boy into a young man. He shot up several inches in height, turned his last little bit of baby fat into muscle, and started shaving. And….much to my dismay….his voice changed. After spending weeks in denial, insisting that he was sick, I accepted the fact that the sweet little voice I knew almost as well as my own was gone forever. My little baby boy is gone forever.
And so I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and thinking over the past month. Reflecting on the past thirteen years and everything I could have done differently, and thinking about how, in just five short years, my young man will be a full-fledged legal adult. I can’t even wrap my head around that. Of all of thoughts running through my mind, the one I keep coming back to is this: “This too shall pass.”
We’ve all heard the saying, usually during tough or trying times. But I think it’s something that’s important to remember all the time. Because, in all situations, whatever your “this” is, good or bad, it’s going to pass. Sometimes, like during your soldier’s deployment, it’s a comforting thought. Other times, like when your nine month old is fast asleep in your arms and you just want to keep him that safe and innocent forever, it’s not such a comforting thought.
Either way, though, it’s always a good thing to keep in mind. And I’m going to try to do that from now on. When I’m upset, stressed out, depressed, or enduring one of my very long, very frequent separations from The Hubs, I will try to remind myself that “this too shall pass.”
And when I’m at my seventh little league game in as many days, or being crowded out of bed by a little boy who had a bad dream, or washing dirty handprints off the walls, I’m going to do my best to savor the moment, because “this too shall pass.”
Maybe I should even go so far as to make permanent my new motto about how temporary life is. It’s almost too ironic a thought to pass up. Besides, what’s a ninth tattoo when you already have eight? Hey, don’t judge. We all deserve a little permanence in our lives.
Jenn, you are so right: the GOOD AND BAD pass us by so quickly. That’s good that the bad passes, but we need to savor the good (as you suggested) because it passes too! Whew- great life lesson. Thanks for the reminder.