Seasons

So things keep spinning along without any input from us, don't they. Spring has FINALLY sprung, things are growing; blooming. Birds are chirping and busy building nests. Spring is a time of renewal, and a time of change. Graduations, goodbyes, parties. Babies, first communions, first jobs, first apartments, weddings. 

Somehow the seasons seem to pick up speed in their progression as we get older. Well, think about it. When you were five, remember how long a summer seemed? It stretched on forEVER. That's because it was like one twentieth of your whole life. When you're 40 or 50, one season is, well, I can't do the math on that one, but it's a tiny fraction in comparison. Sometimes it feels like life is fast forwarded, and you can't help but wonder how many moments you miss because you're too busy living life. Stop and look around once in a while. Breathe it in. It won't be the same in an hour. It will have passed you by.

Sometimes our roles change. Kids get older and don't need you as much, or at least not in the same way. Parents age and suddenly you find yourself parenting them sometimes. My Dad has cancer, multiple myeloma, but blessedly he is in remission. He now uses a cane, and when I'm with him I've become the keeper of the cane. My mantra has become: "Dad! Do you have your cane?"

He's got the everyday cane and the dress cane. I bought the dress cane for him on the wharf in Nantucket. Beautiful wood and a detailed brass handle. The dress cane is reserved for things like church, parties, funerals, that kind of thing, because he's lost canes before.

My Mom has gotten fuzzy, her memory wafting, and my Dad has become her keeper. My oldest childhood friend and I were emailing about our parents recently. Her Dad has prostate cancer, and her Mom is having cataract surgery. Unfortunately, as personal as these things are when it's your family, it's part of the seasons spinning. 

Babies. Blooming. Celebrations. Life keeps spinning. Don't let the spring pass you by unnoticed.