Give Thanks...When The Last Turns Eighteen - Children No More

Thanks to modern technology, I was reminded that five years ago on 8/7/17 my family went bowling. Not so unusual for a family to get out of the house and heat and chill trying to knock over ten pins at the end of a long wooden lane. 

We didn't go just because...we were celebrating my youngest's 13th birthday.

Today, we did not go bowling (not a big fan of doing things on Sunday...), so we went yesterday. The family got together and went bowling to celebrate our youngest's 18th birthday.

We are officially no longer parents of "children." Of course, they'll aways be our children, but in the eyes of the law, they're adults. Such a strange feeling. It's been just over twenty-seven years since we were not parents to an under-eighteen-year old child.

Five years ago the bowling alley where we bowled was new, flashy. In the adjoining rooms you could play laser tag, video games. Outside there were go-carts and miniature golf. Fast forward five years, where we celebrated had a bowling alley and a jute box. That was it. We've changed locations, changed environments. So much has changed for us. We've added a daughter-in-law to the family and everyone is older...hopefully wiser. One thing's for certain--our bowling skills have not improved. If anything, they've gotten worse.

I thought five years ago, I couldn't have loved my family more. Five years have shown me I was wrong. I have no idea what the next five years will bring. I'm sure it will be filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows...such is life. I'm grateful for these people, the ones who have filled my existence with joy and pain, strengths and weaknesses. Happy birthday to the youngest, young no longer, a child no more.