Dear Time;
As I sit here pondering, I thought of you. I wanted to reach out and write you a letter
to let you know some of my thoughts. I know you wait for no one.
I understand it perfectly. It
just dawned on me, though, how much of, well, You, I’ve seen fly by! Why, just the other day I was a young woman
of 19 or 20, walking along the banks of the Red Cedar. I turned to cross the street and suddenly, it
seems, I was already 24 or 25. And then,
as I was adjusting to that age, I realized I had just turned 30. Then, Time, you seemed to really pick up
speed. In a matter of just a few turns
of the dial, here I am a newlywed, another blink and I’m with my three
children, already skyrocketing through to my 40’s.
It is true, what people say, that Time is like smoke through
a keyhole…just gone so quickly. And the
more that you pass, the more I appreciate what has been, what was, and I look
forward to what will be. I am so glad
for the moments, as an example, that I had as a child with my
grandparents. At that second, I was
impatient and unappreciative of what I had, as most children are. I took for granted the hours upon hours that
I spent with my grandparents, not knowing how short our time together would
be.
And now, many years later, I wish
that I could bend you, Time, to my will and return to my great-grandmother’s
kitchen where she was baking a blueberry pie.
I wish I could go back to my five-year-old body with my 40-year-old mind
and ask her a few questions about her life.
Questions I would not have thought of until much later in my own
life. I would ask her if she was having
a good life and I’d ask her for her blueberry pie recipe. Or perhaps I could convince you, Time, to
give me a few moments back with my Grandfather.
I’d really like to know some family history from him and find out about
why our name was Miller and where his grandparents were born.
And still, I would bend you further, Time, my dear
friend. I would ask you to move me
through to my teen years so I could whisper to myself – “Don’t date him” or
“You should be a foreign exchange student”.
Ah the things I could do with a turn back of your hands, Time.
Or what if we took a journey to the future? You and I could check in on my darling
husband and see what he is doing. Has he
stayed healthy and happy? Is he as
wonderful of a grandfather as he is a father?
Have we gone to Europe yet? What
about my children? How tall is my
son? How beautiful is my daughter? We could visit my parents and see how they
are or check in on dear friends that I haven’t seen. Time, you and I could really have an
adventure. I would like to see if I have
enough money for a comfortable retirement.
I would like to know that my plans that I am making now are really
coming true for us.
But mainly, Time, I have just a simple request for you. I would ask you, from the deepest part of me,
to slow down. I would like to know as I
come to the end with you that I have had a chance to feel and appreciate every
minute that I am given. I want you to be
good to me, Time. Is that too much to
ask? Please do let me know your thoughts
on this. Perhaps you could change your
Facebook status to “Just wasting Time” or “Taking the slow lane”? Thanks for your consideration on these
points, and if you’d like to take that adventure with me, I’m ready to go!
Very truly yours,
Laura
