Comments on: On the Horizon

By: becca

becca — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:50:36 +0000

Wow – we really were on the same page here! And now I see from the comments, I’m certainly not alone! Strange that I missed Aidan’s post on this as I normally catch them all. It scares me how fast time flies and that we’ll be in the “future” before we know it. I need to smack myself to enjoy the present although really, looking toward their futures helps me actually to enjoy them today. Because seeing how they are today, is a blueprint for what i see in the future. Make sense? Maybe not.

Loved the post – love your blog!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:04:07 +0000

There is a very clear picture in my mind of my oldest son’s high school graduation. He’s in cap and gown with two brothers by his side. The three boys have tousled hair and ties all askew. One of them pulls some rabbit ears or makes a hang ten with his hand. I see dark, curly, unruly hair on Max and clean-cut red hair on Jamis. Ethan wears sandy brown hair and a sweet, littlest brother smile. I see it. It is clear. And I almost want a sneak peek. I am worried it won’t be that way–the way it is in my mind.

But if I peeked I would change it all. And there’s enough change happening around here all on its own. I am so happy for life. For time going slow and then fast and then slow again. Marching on. Making the most of me. As a mom. As a woman.

Gale, you are wonderful. Keep writing. I’ll keep reading.

By: Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities

Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:55:56 +0000

“Time should march at its own pace.”

Exactly and we really have no choice but to let it. I think it can be fun and fruitful to dream about the future and imagine its contours, but I think that spending too much time doing this – or lingering in the past can truly detract from life in the present. I love the anecdote about your parents. We will grow up to be who we are. So will our kids. The fascinating thing to see is who it is we become. And who it is they become. Yet another thought-provoking post. Thank you.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:35:25 +0000

I love this post Gale. I often think about what my children will be like when they are older. MHH is now 5 and I remember years ago when I wondered what she would be like when she was in kindergarten, and beyond. Yet now I wonder how I didn’t know that she would be exactly who she is now. She is the same person in so many ways, it is amazing that I didn’t already know how her future would unfold (at least to this point since there aren’t too many options for kindergartners). But perhaps not knowing is a little gift from God – to be amazed by what our children do each day and each year. It sure makes parenting fun!
My one other thought is that I try my very best not to tell my children what they should do when they grow up. There are a few things that are important to Kevin and me – like going to college. So we do talk about college like it’s a foregone conclusion to their future. But otherwise I don’t say anything about getting married, or about being married to the opposite gender, or about jobs, or about where they’ll live. It’s not always easy and sometimes we do joke about needing a mechanic, doctor, plumber, IT person in the family, but my hope is that as long as we instill in our children the values that are important to us (honesty, loyalty, caring, etc.), allowing them to find their own way in the context of those values will lead to a lifetime of being amazed by my awesome children! And hopefully happiness for them!

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:53:25 +0000

I think it’s so interesting that you’re far more interested in seeing IEP’s future than your own…even if you’d never take that opportunity if it presented itself. I can imagine being a parent leads to these questions all the time. I even wonder them myself as his aunt. but mostly I read this post and think…it must be so fun to be a parent.