Next week, my daughter turns 45. How did that happen? Hard to believe for sure, and for those of you who are mothers as well, I’m sure you recognize how the birth of your first child marks a huge shift in your life. From that day forward, you are never the same. Your priorities change and life becomes richer in ways you never dreamed of. 

But turning 45 is somewhat of a milestone in itself for both my daughter and myself, and though we say age is just a number, as a mother I recognize that I’ve been a mother for most of my life. And my daughter, in the prime of her career, is herself a parent in the throes of navigating the balance of being a wife, mother of two, and a full-time job. I look at her masterful juggling of time and can’t remember having that much energy to make it through a week, and I was a single mom from the time she was 8 and her brother 6. It all seems so daunting to me now. 

I suppose I’m getting more nostalgic about all the milestones in my life as I realize I have more history behind me than future years ahead. I realize that all the milestones that deserve my attention are now much more precious as I get older. I believe in the importance of being present and celebrating every day, even as I understand how easy it is to take things for granted. 

Life goes by so quickly. One day you have a newborn and it seems the next, she is turning 45. I confess that so many of those years I was so busy trying to get through each day, that I never took the time to smell the roses.

Pictures of the first day of school each year, birthdays, graduations, and special occasions. They all come and go so quickly. Now there are 3 grandchildren and more reasons to celebrate.

I want to make it my intention to not get so busy with the business of life that I take my life for granted.

Be present and smell the roses. Before you know it, your firstborn will turn 45.

Who’s with me?