I Am A Life's Traveler - Enjoying the Passage of Time

If you are a member of my age cohort then you remember James Taylor.  Jay often reminds me of a line from one of his songs.  It says..."The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."  This past weekend I attended a family event that made me very aware of the passing of time.  My brother's son, Jason, married Jessica.

Mr & Mrs Jason Hastings!

Jessica and Jason

The wedding was wonderful, as most weddings are.  Jason and Jessica were beautiful...so full of love and hope...and I could not help but want all good things for them.  The wedding was also an opportunity for the entire family to come together to celebrate.  As the children in the family have grown and ventured out on their own life's paths, we have scattered a bit, so the wedding gathered us once again as a family and let us catch up and reconnect.  As the event progressed I found myself looking at various relatives and my own immediate family and thinking about how quickly life slips by.  The infants are now young children,

Youngest grandson, Gabriel...almost 10 years old!

the young children are now teenagers, the teenagers are now young adults,

Oldest grandson, Nik,, 24 years old!

the young adults are now venturing into middle age,

My 3 little boys...Marc, Joe and Michael

and those of us who were middle-aged are now members of "a certain age."

Marc and my little brother, Fred.

Jay and I at the wedding.

And in the midst of it all was my mother, elderly and vibrant at aged 95.

My mother with her great-granddaughter, Chloe.

It was another reminder to me that life is really not about the destination but about the journey.  The milestones, the births, the graduations, the weddings, the retirements are special markers but they also give us a chance to pause and look around.  To see where we have been and to relish where we are now.  Sometimes where we are now may not be too comfortable, but one thing we can count on, is that life is going to change.  Life is dynamic and nothing stays the same. I remember being told that when the going gets rough to remember what you are advised when white water rafting if you happen to tip over in the rapids..."Don't grasp for rocks and boulders...but let the river carry you....float like a leaf and trust in the flow of the river."

Milestones give us the chance to notice who is on the path with us.  James Taylor also says in that same song, "The secret of love is opening up your heart..." Looking at everyone this weekend, my husband, mother, sons and grandsons, daughter-in-love, siblings, nieces and nephews...I felt rich and filled with love.

Let James Taylor tell you about it!