I took Rand to one of my favorite spots recently. Well, it was one of my favorite spots...20 years ago. It seems like just yesterday. But as I surveyed the new growth, the trees and shrubs, I realized that a significant amount of time has indeed passed.
Not that I haven't noticed my birthdays coming and going - it was just a different kind of reminder that time has passed. I have grown, like these trees. I am different, just as this spot (with all its growth and development) has changed. There is new life all around, just as there is a new life with me this time. Life created from life, that will grow and sprout in its own way.
I sat on one of my favorite rocks from so long ago and marked how changed a spot can be - how time can make the exact same place look so different; can add features and fullness. I breathed in my memory of times past and my respect for new growth as the sun warmed the grass.
I savored the delight of my son as he discovered newness around him. His timidity wore off as his curiosity got the better of him - very much like someone else I know. I heard him splash in the water, saw him look for rocks to throw. I saw the light in his eyes grow. I heard his heart beating faster. I felt his mind learning.
And in the process, I learned.
Discovery is here. Around the bend. In familiar spots. In the hearts and minds of the people we love. In the appreciation for how things grow and change. In the honor and respect of times gone, memories savored.
In an innocent moment of passing down traditions discovery is found and treasured.
