If you have read my blog over the years, you will know my favourite expression to describe parenting is the heading for my blog this week: “The days are long but the years are short.” These thoughtful words come from author Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project). I have three kids, aged 25, 23, and (almost) 21. I am still trying to figure out where the time has gone.

Thank goodness I have photos and videos of my kids when they were young. I recently held a month-old baby; it was magical. It was hard to believe that I had three of these little, tiny, beautiful humans of my own two decades ago.

Make no mistake, I feel blessed to have three healthy adult children. But, like many of you, I frequently wonder how we managed three growing kids. In my situation, for the first 10 years of my daughter’s life we lived in four different towns/cities, attending university while working full-time, and I changed jobs three times. I am not looking for a medal; this is what parents do. But, I don’t think I could do it now.

I am writing this blog on October 13th. Yes, Friday, the 13th. And, today is my daughter’s (Jas) 25th birthday. She is in Port Hope for a few days, and today she accompanied me to chapel with our entire Senior School. It was a trip down memory lane for her, and me.

Father Don (in his 25th year at TCS) was still leading chapel. Mrs. Dew (in her 43rd year at the School!) was also in attendance. There was a lesson for the day and a homily. Student announcements. And, we sang, Shine Jesus, Shine. A TCS student favourite. And, my daughter’s, too. (We made a special request!).

One of my absolute favourite TCS moments was the first day of school about 15 years ago. September 2008. It was Jas’s first day in Grade 5. She sat on the most forward bench in the chapel, closest to me and facing me on a slight diagonal. I was so proud of her, and nervous for her. Nervous for both of us, really!

Then “SNAP!” It’s 2023. Today. 15 years later, and she sat almost in the same spot.

After chapel, we chatted about her time at TCS. Her stories were entertaining; we smiled and laughed. Even some of the more challenging times, she now looks back with nostalgia, a sense of humour, and great appreciation.

I am sure that I appreciated each day that my kids were at TCS; I was certainly grateful that they had the opportunity to attend this wonderful school and to graduate from it.

Schools are fundamentally about helping to prepare kids for the future. But, I would encourage all of you to also embrace each day. “Live in the now,” as the expression goes. Or, to return to the words of Gretchen Rubin,

“When I find myself focusing overmuch on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to ‘Enjoy now.’ If I can enjoy the present, I don’t need to count on the happiness that is (or isn’t) waiting for me in the future.”