‘Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments……..’ Rose Kennedy
The last six months have seen lots of milestones reached in my family. We’ve had graduations, marriages, job changes, and moves across the country, there has been plenty of laughter. And a few tears. In January, my grandson, Blake, got married and moved to Colorado Springs . In May, my only granddaughter graduated from high school. And the first of June, my oldest grandson, Braden, will get married.
People always ask “does it make you sad?” Honestly, change doesn’t make me sad. Seeing my grandson regularly would be great, but even if he lived nearby, it’s tough to find time when everyone’s available. I travel for work, they have jobs. It does make the times when we are together moments to be cherished. Change isn’t sad because it means new…new life experiences, new family members, and new places to visit. It also means life is still going on which at my age is either happening or you’re dead, so I’ll take the first one.
The milestones are great. Our family likes to celebrate milestones with cookouts together. My oldest daughter loves to throw a party and invite everyone she knows and feed them enormous amounts of yummy food. But, it’s not the celebrations and big parties we cherish most. It’s the moments, seemingly insignificant in comparison to the big celebrations, but somehow sweeter. It’s the random thrown-together dinner and an impromptu game where we laugh and laugh at each other’s silliness. It’s watching my grandchildren, all grown up but still willing to sing and act out Beauty and the Beast at the request of their cousin, even for the 1000th time.
If we only celebrate the milestones in life, we will miss out on so many incredible moments. It’s a “stop and smell the roses” thing. Don’t wait until you have the whole garden in bloom, it only takes one rose to enjoy the sweet smell.
Randel C. Goad – Mandt Faculty Supervisor
