How Time Flies

As I sit here pondering where the summer has gone, my mind starts to wander. I have had about a month off of school and I start back again in about a week from now. I have only 4 classes left, 3 of which I am taking this semester. I am not going to gripe/whine about these next 4 months of hard work as I know that I am almost done with this endeavor. And so, as I sit here, I ponder the past two years and think, where did it all go? I took a lot of classes and enjoyed most of them but for the most part, just went along thinking about finishing this class to move on to my next one, a step in this journey, so to speak.

And as I think about this, I can't help but think about all else that is in my life. I have a wonderful wife and two wonderful kids. My son turns ten in about a week. Where did that come from? He can't possibly be ten. And while he will be ten, he just started 4th grade. I remember my 4th grade well. It was the year that my mother married my step-father and we moved to the east side of town and suddenly, a family of 15 (including mom and "dad" and let's not forget the "border Stan - may he continue to rest in peace" we had at the time) (editor's note: my mother was always bringing someone home to live with us that needed someplace to go. I never did discuss it with my mom but accepted it as life and as I look back on it, I am sure that she was acting as an angel on earth. I learned a lot from my mother and sadly, it wasn't until she passed that I truly figured it out.) My son can't possibly be ten since that was just a few short years ago. As with most parents, I remember the day clearly and it feels like it was just yesterday.

I also am left to ponder that the anniversary of my wife and I's first kiss (I know that I didn't word that right, but there you go). How many years ago was that? Okay, married in '97, so 15 years? That can't possibly be right. That also seems like it was just yesterday. And yes, for some reason, I remember the date of my first kiss with my wife. What does that say about me?

Of course, a lot has happened in the past 15 years. Marriage, children, numerous jobs and work experiences, the death of my mother and subsequent destruction of the entire family as a family unit. I still look back at the family getting together as a family and actually miss it when everyone was together. But, as we all know, time waits for no one and there are constantly changes.

As we get older, we are constantly reminded of our own mortality. We blink and the people that we knew are no longer there. So and so has cancer, or passed away or divorced or whatever else happens to people as time goes on. It makes me appreciate all that I have, coming full circle back to a loving wife, kids, and relatively good health (or so my doctor tells me).

And so I would like to leave you all with this much discussed thought but rarely considered: live life for today as you never know what will happen tomorrow. I promise to do my best to be the best father I can be to my kids, best husband for my wife, and a generally good person. I also must constantly remind myself to stop living for tomorrow and just enjoy today. I hope you try to do the same.

I know that was supposed to be my last comment but I have one more that I want to tell everyone. I made mousse for the first time this weekend. Not just any mousse, but White Chocolate Grand Marnier Mousse. It was a mixed response to be blunt, but everyone did like it. Some of us thought it was too much alcohol. Someone said that yes, it had a lot of alcohol but he likes it that way. Someone else, who is the first to complain about too much alcohol, loved it. So, I don't know. I will probably make it again but probably only for special requests (i.e. I probably will not make it for myself). Next on the list is a Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis. When do raspberries go out of season?