The Passage of Time by Maureen Locher

November! November? Really? What happened to summer? We had snow in the Midwest yesterday. Really? Snow already? Why does life fly by at warp speed? What happened to the carefree days, heck – even boring days – of youth? Times when we’d gaze out the school window completely oblivious to words which came out of our teachers’ mouths. Hearing as Charlie Brown heard…blah, blah, blah. Knowing we had all the time in the world. We wanted to grow up. Remember that, Catholic moms, we wanted to grow up? All we could think about was growing up, becoming women, graduating, marrying?

Well, we’re here. Is it all it was cracked up to be?

Yes on good days, no on bad? Good or bad, that time keeps a-flying. How are we making our time here on earth count? If you are a mom like me with older children you’ve most likely gone through your own identity crises along the way. However those benchmarks of the past have stacked up, they are just that – in the past. Who are you now? Who do you want to be now that the little kiddies are big kiddies? One day at a time has been my philosophy of late. Because that’s about as far as I can reasonably look ahead.

I don’t miss parent-teacher conferences. I don’t squirm in bleachers with my heart in my throat as the child nears the finish line or reaches for that pass. And I don’t need to outfit four boys for the start of each school year. Don’t have to put toys in Kmart Christmas layaway either. This is all good. Life’s stresses have lessened. There’s more time to think, and more time to just "be."

Hopefully to be what God wants me to be. For once in my life I finally go with the flow. My sons are as formed as they can be. They must live their own lives, and I must live mine. So, no matter how quickly or slowly calendar time passes, I know I’m headed where I am supposed to be if I keep my eyes upward asking, seeking, knocking…and trusting. Really!