"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." We arrived at my son's home at noon yesterday. We came early for the high school graduation party for William, our oldest grandson.
William is looking very forward to moving from the academic domain of Sealy High School to the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Shortly after this school year began, he got a thumbs-up from the business school that they had a spot for him.
The decor for the party included balloons and framed photos of William from the first grade through the twelfth. As I looked at the photographs, a flood of memories from each of those years filled my head.
Until my son's 20-year retirement from the United States Marine Corps, their family was stationed on one coast or the other. The memories of our visits during those years enrich my life. Ours has always been a close-knit family despite the distance that separated us.
The well-wishers composed of extended family members and friends that gathered for the graduation celebration numbered in the neighborhood of a hundred people. People of all ages who have contributed to the wellbeing of all three of my grandchildren were in attendance.
For that matter, people who supported both Craig and Becky long before they had children were also in attendance.
I made the observation years ago from my work with children in residential care, that those who had at least five adults actively involved in their lives were better equipped and ready for independence when they reach adulthood than those without that kind of support.
My grandchildren have been blessed by an abundance of extended family members and friends that have surrounded them as mentors, cheerleaders, and sources of encouragement.
The party was a deja vu kind of experience. Two members of the Corps at Texas A&M that were "fish" along with Craig when he was a freshman were present. The three of them have been friends through A&M and long-standing military careers.
During Craig's freshman year, several guys from the Corps spent Thanksgiving with us in Henly. The memories of them marching in the parade up Congress Avenue in Austin fall in the category of memories too precious to forget.
Their presence last night brought back a host of memories and an awareness at hos quickly time flies by. "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives," but the memories that remain contribute to our well-being and contentment.
All My Best!
Don
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