Live the year – Thankful, Grateful, Respectful, Patient, Charitable, Kind, and don’t forget to laugh and smile, often as they are infectious
When we are younger, we all tend to look ahead from birth, from crawling to walking, through toddler years, grade school, first kiss, prom/date, graduation, the first job, or perhaps heading off to college. Then it leads to them possibly finding the right person, marriage, children, parenting, until it all becomes cyclical, living it all over again, in helping them to fulfill their dreams. That is, until your first grandchild comes along.
It’s in that moment of joy, you slow down in the thought processes of life, you really begin to realize, looking back, that what you are now experiencing is seeing life, possibly for the first time, through the lens of your parents. There might have been several telltale signs along the way, e.g., – Like playing a friendly game of touch football at Thanksgiving with family and friends or perhaps doing the same at 4th of July gatherings with your children and siblings, that you passed the torch somewhere along the way.
It’s in those moments when you hope you can savor it all and move ahead at a slower pace, but realize the clock has a different idea. Most of us by this time have lost parents, relatives, and possibly friends along the way. It is in those days that the pictures, videos, and family movies take on a new life, especially around celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other high-water marks in the passing of time.
The reality is, it happens to all of us at different stages, and our struggle is to look back and treasure those moments together, but NEVER allow it to stop you from living life to the fullest. Life is precious and not to be taken lightly; it is meant to be experienced in all its emotional aspects. The joys, sorrows, happiness, sadness, tragedy, and euphoria. Life reads like an EKG. If you don’t know what that is, you’re lucky. As a father of four, grandfather of eight, and husband, I will have been married to my beautiful wife for 50 years at the end of this month, a woman I have known since we were 16. I’d say we are both pretty blessed, and I guess lucky in life. Faith, Family, Country, Friends is a good recipe for success in all things!
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