Where have the years gone?

I am occasionally surprised at how fast the years have gone by. One of my old teachers and high school principal who I hold in very high regard is 91 today. I remember him like it was yesterday.. but 45 years ago.

I look at my gray hair, and sometimes see my father's image in the mirror. I do not feel as old as my drivers license says that I am, so the years must not be creeping up after all.

My son is now married, and has a wife who I feel is very good for him. She balances some of the wildness that he had exhibited over the last ten years or so. He is also now a father, and his little girl (the elfin one) is another reason that he seems to have finally found steady footing. He has a new job, one that he will likely do well at, so I am glad for him.

My daughter is now very far away, working on her PhD in MicroBiology. She has traveled so far in her education, eclipsing what I had done and has zoomed farther along.. warp speed! I remember that first day of school when I dropped her off at kindergarten.. and she strode through those doors at the front of the school and never looked back. She embraces educational challenges.. and I think she will do well in her chosen path.

When I look now at both children of mine, I see a compressed time scale for them. I can replay memories in my mind.. and often see them as smaller versions of themselves, dependent on me much more than they seem to be today. I welcome that independence, yet fear it as well.. for they will soon be at that point in their lives when I am not needed any longer.

I have reconnected with friends from my childhood as well as some from the USMC. Both groups of friends shared experiences with me that are hard to describe to outsiders. I grew up on Aruba, at a company compound called Lago Colony. We had an existence where we were a very self-sufficient community, lacking nothing. We had our own school, church, commissary, movie theatre, bowling alley and beaches with white sand and blue water. We all WERE friends.. we knew pretty much everyone in our age groups, plus a few years up and down from where we were. We were like an extended family and when one of that group sails West for the last time, we all feel that loss.

My brothers from the USMC and I also shared special experiences together. We served in Vietnam, and regardless of the politics that anyone feels for that time, we were not making policy for our country. We fought.. and well. But, we fought mainly for each other, for we wanted to make sure that all of us could get back to "The World" once more. I saw an old buddy of mine a few months ago; his hair (well, shiny head) is worn differently now.. but the same sparkle in his eyes showed me that the same guy was in there.

The years flow by.. like sands through an hourglass. Sometimes I worry about the amount of sand that I have left... and I want to keep filling it with sand from the beaches of my youth. The time is now to reach out and tell others how much I value them... for what they have done for me many years ago, or for their continued friendship today.

I will try to get to all of you..... so if I don't say anything right away, just give me time...........