Tuesday, June 11

Turn, turn, turn


When I was a tiny girl, a group called The Byrds recorded a song written by folk artist Pete Seeger. It was called "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Maybe you've heard it:

To everything
Turn! Turn! Turn!
There is a season
Turn! Turn! Turn!
And a time to every purpose
Under heaven.


You may recognize those words from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, one of the Bible's books of wisdom. The Byrds' popular song echoed the words of the King James Version:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

 a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

No one would argue with the wisdom of those words. The tricky part is remembering them, don't you think?


I've written before about how quickly time passes. In fact, I firmly believe that a better motto for parents than Carpe Diem is Tempus Fugit. Not every day is worth seizing; some we merely survive. But wow, does time fly.

Here's one of the first pictures ever taken of me and my oldest son, Will:



Just three weeks after this photo was taken, I took baby Will to visit my mother. Very vividly now does a scene come back to me. We took Will for a walk in his stroller, and as we walked, my mom told me that I should savor the moments of his babyhood. "Turn around," she said, "and he'll be leaving." Then she quoted one of those sweet Kingston Trio songs she always loved:

Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Where are going, my baby, my own?
Turn around, and you're two
Turn around, and you're four
Turn around, you're a young girl
Going out of the door.

At that point I still had the swollen tummy of a new mother, and I could hardly imagine fitting back into my skinny jeans, much less having that little baby big enough to leave. So I did a pirouette on the sidewalk and giggled at my mother. She just gave me one of those wise smiles and said, "Wait and see."

My mom left this earth nearly 20 years ago, but I've thought of her words often through the years. She was right.

I turned once, and he was 10 years old.



I turned again, and he graduated from college.



I turned once more, and he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy.



One more time, and he began training to be an aviator.


There will be more photos of Will made this week, but they won't feature my son with his mom. They'll be pictures of him with this beautiful woman:


On June 15, this boy of mine—no longer a boy now—will walk down the aisle in Pensacola, Florida, and vow to love, honor, and cherish Christiana as long as they both shall live.

Turn, turn, turn. Really and truly, tempus fugit: time flies.

Sometimes people ask me for parenting advice, and there's one piece I'll give. You know that phone you're holding? Don't hold it so much, except for one thing. Use it to take pictures. 

Capture the moments, for soon—very soon—they'll be memories.

17 comments:

  1. Congratulations and a beautiful couple.

    Touched me the was your statement about the phone. Amen and totally agree.

    Cindy

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    1. Thank you so much, Cindy! They are a beautiful couple, aren't they?

      I'm so grateful for our smartphones. . . but I want to cry when I sometimes see young moms paying more attention to their phones than to their kids. I get it; I really do. I'm grateful that I didn't have that temptation when my kids were small. But gosh, the years go fast.

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  2. Oh so precious. Congratulations to your son and future daughter-in-law. Such a beautiful and special occasion. We will be attending one of our Grandson's wedding on Saturday June 15, so indeed time really is moving way too fast. God Bless and take tons of pictures.

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    1. Congratulations to YOU, Marty! May your grandson and his fiancée be blessed with a long and happy life together. I will take tons of pictures; you do the same!

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  3. I am so excited for you and your family!! This was such a sweet post and so true - I reflect and somedays just don't know where the time has gone. Enjoy the wedding, wishing them a lifetime of happy "turns"!

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    1. Thank you so much, Patti! Isn't it amazing how much has happened just since we started blogging? Time really DOES fly! :)

      Blessings to you!

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  4. I love this post! I feel like I have watched Will grow up. I'm looking forward to seeing A LOT of wedding pictures.

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    1. Thank you, Paula! He was just turning 16 when I started blogging. Hard to believe that he's about to be a married man! I will definitely take a lot of pictures!

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  5. Congratulations, Richella! I am certain Christina will be treated well, as she has a soon-to-be husband raised by a Godly woman!

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    1. Thank you so much, Rita! Christiana is a really lovely young woman. We are so blessed to have her join our family!

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  6. Time goes by way too fast...but we certainly hold on to our memories that live with us each day...Congrats to the happy couple!!!

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    1. Thank you, Shirley! I am so grateful for Will to have found such a lovely bride. The first wedding is a big deal!

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  7. Congratulations, to Will and Christina. Excited to see the pictures.

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  8. Congratulations and a Pensacola girl has to be a good thing!!! Enjoy the day!

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  9. Richella, what a beautiful post and so full of wisdom! I can testify to the truthfulness of your words and your mom's.

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  10. إن أردت استخدام المبيدات الحشرية، وكان أمراً لا بدّ منه، فهناك بعض الخطوات التحذيرية التي يجب التعامل معها، ومن أهمها: إخلاء المنزل بالكامل من أصحابه، ومن الأطفال على وجه الخصوص. رفع الأطباق والأدوات المنزلية الموجودة في المنزل. تغطية الأطعمة بأكثر من غطاء، ولفها بأكياس بلاستيكية. التأكّد من عدم استخدام أي أداة من المنزل قبل غسلها بالكامل. تنظيف المنزل بالكامل بعد رشه بالمبيد الحشري بأكثر من مادة تنظيف. غسل الأدوات المنزلية، وإعادتها للمطبخ بعد أن يتم تنظيفه بشكل كامل.

    شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بحائل
    شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض ببريدة
    شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالاحساء
    شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بخميس مشيط

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  11. Good Morning, What a sweet post! I am so happy for him and that you loved all the boys so much and gave them roots and now wings! Happy summer! Hugs, Roxy "Congrats to the newly wed couple!!"

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