Out of the darkness.

The other day I was commenting about how quickly our kids have grown up. Sure all parents say this, and we all think it’s only our kids, but the moment they come into this world, it seems like you can never look back because in the blink of any eye, they are grown and out the door.

Within the next year, actually starting this weekend, one of my daughters will be out on her own, and another will soon be heading off to college. This is truly hard to believe. Our oldest daughter, the one who lives at home, came into my life when she was about 8 years old. Obviously I am not her biological father, but I do play a very active role as one of her Dad’s. How large my role is depends upon a few factors: Her mood, my mood and our moods. All in all, we get along as well as one parent and a 17 year old can; multiply this by sleepovers, oversleeping and sleepless nights, and you can imagine it’s a very interesting home life.

The title of today’s blog is appropriate; as we move from one stage of our life to another, we often find we are in the dark until we’re through it. It’s when we experience these new and different life stages, and suddenly “see the light,” is when we really begin to understand. I still believe the lights are often very dark during the formative years…these would be from the ages of 11 or so to say 21. After that, it’s pretty much a given if you haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel, you may want to re-think the tunnel you have entered.

I am very proud of my children; they all have much different views of their world, and live it to their fullest. Sure, we may not always like the way they look at it, but in the end we find a brighter light and that hopefully doesn’t cast too many shadows.

The photo above was taken this past weekend. One of our neighbors just became grandparents; when I knew their daughter was coming to visit I asked if they would be open to our taking pictures of her. They said “sure.” Who wouldn’t, there was no charge. I did it for the practice because I know if I get it right taking pictures of new borns, there could be another opportunity to get it right for someone who would like to pay. I showed this photo to my neighbor (the wife of course) and her reaction was just what I was hoping. Similar to today’s blog title, she was no longer in the dark as to how beautiful her granddaughter is.

Thanks for stopping by.