Don't Blink

Madison and her best friend Jeffrey had a great time at Prom Saturday night. I was so happy for them both, and in awe of how they have grown from those two little preschoolers who played spaceship on our swing set into these two young adults who are old enough to drive to dinner, Mass, and Prom. This is what they looked like on their big night.

And this is what they looked like years ago on their first "date" at our house.

Oh,  how my heart smiles when I think of that day. I remember standing outside taking that picture. I remember saying to Jeffrey's mom, my friend and neighbor Sharon, "Someday they will be going to prom together!" And we laughed thinking about that far off day. I got the pictures developed...those were the days before digital cameras, folks...and we smiled at how cute these two were on their very first date. And then I tucked the pictures away and moved on with life.

I answered the door when Jeffrey knocked to see if Madison could come out and play. I cleaned my house. I grocery shopped. I went to church with my little family. I gave birth to more sweet babies. One day, I moved with my family to a new home outside of town, and no longer answered the door to little Jeffrey's knocks. I cooked meals. I decorated for Christmas and Easter and Halloween. I baked cookies and did laundry. I picked my kids up from school. I read books. I gave birth to one more sweet soul. I took trips to Disney world and the beach. I gave baths and brushed hair. I clipped coupons and took walks. I slept. And I blinked.

Then one day I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see a face I remembered, but did not recognize. It was Jeffrey, wanting to know if Madison could come and go for a ride. Somehow, someway, as I lived my life in what seemed to be the blink of an eye, this young boy who danced in my living room to Britney Spears and swam in my pool for hours on end and ate countless peanut butter sandwiches at my kitchen table had grown into a young man. And he asked my Madison to his senior prom. He told us he would not have dreamed of taking anyone else.

And so now, as I look longingly at these pictures of my Madison and her friend Jeffrey, I realize just how quickly life passes by...and I cherish each and every minute, knowing even the smallest of moments will become a wonderful memory in just the blink of an eye.