Stross' last year of high school is slipping away, and I'm not certain I'm honoring its sacredness to the greatest degree possible. Then again, I'm not confident that honoring it would be in my best interest. I'll begin marking moments with tears soon enough: his last conference, last dance, last prom, last day of school. And then the hardest one: the last time to pick him up after school. I'll be an absolute mess that day. Guaranteed.
Maybe it's best not to mark "last time" moments anyway. Maybe holiness exists amid the ordinary. Remember Emily's question of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town"?
She asks: "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every,every minute?"
He replies: "No. (pause) The saints and poets, maybe they do some."
Living fully engaged in daily moments is the goal anyway, isn't it? Breathing in, drinking in, taking in. Connecting with all moments that comprise life. There's simply no catching up or going back. It's all about the now.
The men and women arriving at work to learn it's their last day. Did they see it coming?
The girls and boys (who believe they are women and men) giving in to lust as they kiss days of virginity goodbye. Did they see it coming?
The moms and dads watching their toddlers cross the room unassisted, never to crawl again, it seems. Did they really see those days coming?
The grandpas and grandmas kissing each other goodnight, not knowing what morning would bring. Did they savor the sweetness of their last kiss?
I sure hope so...
You know what, I'm gonna sign off. I have two not-so-little-anymore boys to tuck into bed. (Yes, they still ask me to tuck them in.) And you know what? I'm gonna savor every single second of it.
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