Time Sure Does Fly

My kids are growing up.
Can you feel it?  The speeding up of time?
It's really happening.
In a simple blink of an eye, our first child will be leaving on his mission.
Soon after, our second son will be leaving as well.
Then our first daughter will fall in love and get married and leave us.
Soon after that, our third son will graduate from high school and leave on his mission.
And on and on the story will go, but it will all start with our first son leaving on his mission, and do you know?  It's only 7 years and 3 months away.
May seem like quite a distance away, but it's not.
It's already June of 2016.
Did we not just celebrate christmas?  How could it possible be June?
I think maybe April would be more appropriate.
But, it's June.
Time is just flying so fast.
Part of it is exciting, but mostly it just hurts.

Can't we just hold on to some moments?  Does it all have to fly?  Can't we move a little more slowly?  Can't we just spend a little more time together?  Can't the kids just always want to run to my arms and hug me?  Will they really someday be embarrassed by my kisses?  Do they really have to move away?  I get that they have to grow up, but do they really have to go far away, taking my grand babies with them?  I get that there will be a day when I won't have my own babies to hold anymore, but can't I have my grandchildren? I hope so, I hope they don't go far.

I love these kids.  I need them in my life.  Their spirits, their laughter, their love...
I need their smiles and giggles, their fun knock knock jokes that most of the time don't make sense but we laugh anyway because we love them so much...

All I can say is, I'm thankful for today.
I'm thankful for all of my yesterdays and every single one of my tomorrows that they will be in our life.  I pray that as they grow up, they will know that we cherish the time they are with us, we will forever cherish the memories and moments that they made us more than we are, and when they grow and become parents themselves I pray with all the energy of my soul, they cherish the time with their babies as well, because as we all know, the time just flies far too quickly.