Time Is Flying!

Where is the time going? And why does it seem that the older I get, the faster time goes by? I don't like it - no, sir - I don't like it one bit! The phone rang yesterday morning and the caller ID screen read "United States Government". Hmm...maybe I should answer this, I thought. Turns out it was a Sgt. Kinney from the U.S. Marines who wanted to know what my soon-to-be-19-year-old son planned to do with his future. I guess Marines don't have a sense of humor - or at least this Marine didn't. When he asked me if my son had considered a career in the Marines, jokingly I gasped and said "You want to take MY BOY!!!!". After a moment, Sgt. Kinney said, "No, ma'am. I assure you I do not want to take your boy." Then I laughed and said, "It's okay. Actually there are times when I'd like to bring him to you!". Again, a silence for a moment, then a serious "Yes, ma'am". Hoo, boy. Tough crowd! Oh, well. I guess a Marine with a sense of humor is an oxymoron. Like civil war.

If it wasn't upsetting enough to be reminded that MY BOY is going to be 19 soon, yesterday at school the teachers asked me to sort the Family Life books that they will be using to teach in the next few weeks. I took a look through one of the books - and had to stifle a shriek of terror. It's the birds and the bees! OH NO!!!!! Not my OTHER BOY! He's not ready for this. I'M not ready for this.

Now, we are trying to decide what to do for Jerry's birthday tomorrow. School is closed on Friday and we had originally talked about going to West Virginia to look for property, but we're not sure what we're going to do just yet. In any case, Jerry's mother said she wanted to at least go to dinner or something tomorrow night if we don't go to the mountains. Another year older for him. Actually, I don't mind his birthdays. Since he is six months older than I am, I have six whole months to tease him about being old! For some reason my mother used to always confuse Jerry's birthday with the birthday of Porky, a dog we had when I was growing up. I wonder if there's something subconscious going on there about what she really thinks of him?!

Well, Andy will be finishing elementary school in about six weeks, Tom will be turning 19 in a while, Jerry turns another year old tomorrow, and I'm getting more gray by the day (larger, too!). Time really does fly, doesn't it? I can remember being 12 and wanting to be 13 so I could wear mascara, and mom saying "Don't wish your life away". I remember being 15 and wanting to be 16 so I could drive, and mom saying "Don't wish your life away". I remember being 17 and wishing I was 18 so I could get married, and mom saying "Don't wish your life away". Now I'm really understanding the wisdom of those words, and telling my boys the very same thing.