Forever 21

We are heading home today. It’s the end of a wonderful few days in Colorado.

And I am nostalgic. Sitting here, sipping coffee, thinking back on the last few days … hanging out with my 21 year old daughter, Emily, and her delightful friends.

Yesterday, we were downtown … for the anticipated trip to the candy store. And while there, I was startled by how quickly Emily’s face seemed to change.

One minute, I could see her face just as she was when she was a toddler. Full of mischief. And fun.

Then the very next minute, she transformed and all I saw was her 21 year old face …

Enjoying her ice cream, I was flushed with memories of her childhood …

With her friends, all grown up again …

She has been coming to Estes Park since she was just a child …

But she is no longer a child …

On days like today, especially today … I wish she could stay forever twenty-one. But that’s just the mom in me. I can’t turn back time. I can’t make life stand still. I can’t make her forever twenty-one.

So, I’ll take today. And I’ll squeeze out the joy.

I thank God for all the sweet memories … those now past … and those yet to come.