Kyle and Me, September 18, 2015
Most kids in West Michigan start school the day after Labor Day. My Facebook feed was filled with pictures of kids from pre-school through college on their first day. I joked on my Facebook that if I had one dollar for every hashtag “where did the time go” I could make a car payment!
Of course I was exaggerating, but not much!
Yesterday was my son’s 22nd birthday, and because of the where-did-the-time-go question, I thought about where 22 years went. Here's what I know.
The time went with basketball shoes and Snoopy t-shirts.
It went with Bionicles, Legos and Beanie Babies.
It went with Veggies Tales, Spongebob, Strongbad and Homestar Runner.
It went with first days of school and summer vacations.
It went with bringing home a puppy and saying goodbye to her 10 years later.
It went with surprise movie dates and countdowns to movies we wanted to see.
It went with going to a NASCAR race and Wisconsin for vacations.
It went with parades - to watch as a little guy and to participate in when he was older.
It went with trips to Indianapolis for national marching band competition and becoming a state marching band champion.
It went with going to concerts - school band concerts and professional concerts downtown. (Star Wars, Trace Bundy, John Williams’ Tribute, Blast!)
It went with guitar lessons and trumpet lessons.
It went with making up songs for everything when he was little to writing beautiful music on the piano.
It went with going to the fair for elephant ears and french fries.
It went with crazy YouTube videos and funny memes.
It went with Taco Bell lunches and meatloaf dinners.
It went with drivers ed and a graduation celebration!
It went with birthday parties, family reunions and funerals.
It went with struggles, hard times and adversity as well as joy, laughter and some of the best times in life.
Now it’s at college, chasing dreams, making new friends and finding new passions.
I can’t wait to see where the time goes in the future!
It was fun to stop and reflect on where 22 years went, and there is so much more to the story than these few lines.
It also reminds me that life is so short; 22 years really did fly by. I want to keep living life in a way that celebrates every day, because we just don't know when the time to celebrate will come to an end. I'm going to make memories, have fun, live huge and make the days count!
I’d love to hear where the time has gone for you and your family! Please share in the comments below or via Twitter and Facebook.
