Sunrise Sunset

Standing before the parents and families assembled for my high school graduation, I sang with my choir the wistfully nostalgic song Sunrise Sunset. Tears escaped from my 16 year old eyes as I imagined how my parents felt, and how I would someday feel with my children on the cusp of adulthood many years later.

I've been lucky. My four adult offspring have given me quite a few years of denial about their growing up. Four high school and college graduations have come and gone, yet none of them have yet married. I easily feel as though I'm still in my 30's, and with no sons or daughters-in-law and no grandchildren, it's easy to do despite the fact both of my parents are now gone. This is about to change.

On January 21st, I will become a mother-in-law. Looking through old family photos and baby pictures of my soon-to-be-married middle child Patrick, the lyrics to Sunrise Sunset come blaring into my head. Like Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, I don't remember growing older. But Patrick, not even my oldest child, is gently nudging me into the "next generation".

I've adjusted to having my kids grow up and move far away to follow their dreams. Casey's in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Evan's in India, Patrick's in China, and Caitlin's in NYC. We will all be together for the first time in four years when we gather to celebrate the union of Patrick and Krista.

Indeed the years fly swiftly. My tears are of love, pride, acceptance, and bewilderment that I knew at 16 how I would feel today.