WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
By Make Davis Pickup
Growing old has increasing times where I find myself happy and sad at the same moment. It all revolves around love and the passing of time. My daughter sent me
the photo at the right of her being kissed on the cheek by my oldest grandson. I thought to myself: I remember them both as babies. I pushed my daughter in a stroller everywhere; at lunch we would look at each other across her high-chair while I fed her Gerber’s baby food. At night I would gently rock her to sleep and hum lullabies. Two peas in a pod. There’s nothing better than being a father.
Twenty-five years later I did the same with her baby, my grandson. The only difference was that the stroller was gone. We traveled on my wheelchair/scooter, exploring grandpa’s little town, singing Wheels On the Bus or other children’s songs. Two peas in a pod. There’s nothing better than being a grandfather.
When they learned to walk they began to move away from me — at first with unsteady little feet then with increasing steady confidence. In their own time, decades apart, they both looked back to me for encouragement, then less with time. That’s as it should be. Their legs strengthened and mine withered. They must increase while I decrease. But I was left with sweet memories of our cozy pea pods. They grew with a foundation of nurture. Every child deserves that.
(I have a tender memory dating back to 1976 when my daughter was born. Stevie Wonder’s song about his daughter was a hit: Isn’t She Lovely. I was a commercial television writer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The song came on the radio and I pecked away at my manual typewriter in time to the music. I was so happy to be a new dad and could not wait to get home to see my baby. Thirty-eight years later I still say “Isn’t she Lovely.”)
I watch now from the sidelines with sentimental pride, and wonder where the time went and where life will take them. God created them for a purpose. My greatest desire for them (and all my family) is that they will walk each day with Christ, desire to serve Him, and discover the purpose for which they were created — then pursue it.
I think I will revisit the old song. This for all the new dads and grandpas.
Click this link for “Isn’t She Lovely”, by Stevie Wonder
Mark —
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Mark Davis Pickup is an extensively published Canadian writer and inspirational keynote speaker. In 1984, Mark was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 30, which drastically changed his life direction. After leaving the workforce at age 38 due to his condition, Mark dedicated his energy towards advocating, speaking, and writing on vital issues like disability, human life, the sanctity of life, Christian unity, assisted suicide, and suffering. He has spoken to various audiences across North America, ranging from university students, to United States politicians, to hospital medical staffs. Mark has received multiple awards for his work, such as a Governor General’s Medal for community service and the Monsignor Bill Irwin Award for Ethical Excellence.
Mark lives in Alberta, Canada, with his wife LaRee. They have 2 children and 5 grandchildren.
To find out more about Mark, see his website here.
Our feature Photo was published with permission from wallpaperuse.com.
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