I know I have more than a decade and a half to worry about this, but it does get you thinking.
My wife Margie and I recently attended the high school graduation party for Tori. Margie had coached recreation league basketball for her church in 2005, the year we had met, and did so for a couple more years afterwards, then took some time out for when our daughter was born. Tori was one of the girls on the team that Margie coached, along with Tori's friend Laura.
Both girls were scholar-athletes, and like their teammates, found Margie highly relatable. Because Margie was young at heart and spoke likewise, she not only represented the values these kids were brought up with, she knew the game...lived and breathed it, along with just about any sport imaginable. She understood the pressures kids had growing up in today's world, and always maintained an 'open door' policy with her players. A policy where she spent more time listening than talking, and only offered advice when and if they asked for it. And it was always the truth and never what they wanted to hear, but always delivered in a positive manner.
Knowing as little as I did about sports, I was content to sit on the sidelines, but I made it a point to learn all the girls' names and cheer them on at every game. Tori, Laura, Chloe, Julia, and so many others.
OK, I didn't say that I wouldn't forget their names in my advancing years.
Even back then, Tori was a tall drink of water, and definitely not afraid of going after the ball. The girl got game.
Margie and I called Laura "Little Laura" because of her diminutive build that first year. Nonetheless, she didn't let her small stature get in the way of taking that ball to the hoop with extreme prejudice. But she soon experienced a sudden and rather quick growth spurt that made her not so little anymore and closer to the hoop.
We attended Tori's graduation party and after a couple hours, decided to yield to our daughter's impending fatigue and get her home to bathe her and put her to bed.
We hugged Tori and wished her the best of luck at the University of Pittsburgh in the coming fall. Laura's mom had arrived about an hour earlier, saying that Laura was curling her hair and would be coming later.
Laura arrived right as we were leaving. For the first time, I looked at both of them standing side-by-side.
It didn't seem that long ago that these gangly little girls were playing basketball on Margie's team, plus other sports in middle and high school. And as I looked at them, it made me think about what wonderful young ladies they grew up to be. Tori now standing almost six feet tall, and Laura not too far behind her, though my five-foot-three-inch wife debates that.
And then I looked down at my daughter.
The time went faster than I ever imagined.
"She's getting so big" is what I hear so often these days. And not only that, but I remember saying that very thing to Margie about those two girls once upon a time.
Cherish every moment. Even when you feel your patience at its end, remember that even the most difficult times won't last forever. And while you may not miss them, you will be able to reflect upon them and see the growth both of you have experienced since then.
NEXT WEEK: Language Arts
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