- A local high school friend got married and is expecting her first child
- A friend in the UK became a grandmother for the 2nd time
- A friend in New Orleans became a great-grandfather for the 1st time
- Other friends are like myself, preparing for the flexibility of a new life with adult children
It's always exciting to learn of a friend's ______ (fill in the blank...baby, marriage, relationship, job...). What is fascinating are the stages that we go through and when. I'm 42 years old with a grown child and planning my future with my life partner. I have friends who are also 42 years old who are newlyweds, new mothers, newly divorced and starting over and some are still waiting to begin their future families. Friends who are just a few years older are already grandparents and even great grandparents. Shopping for people who are first time mothers and first time grandparents and who are nearly the same age as myself can be a bit unnerving.
With the reach of social media sites like Facebook, I occasionally will see a picture of someone from my past. It's often jarring. The way I remember someone is not the way they look years after they were in my life. Important life stages came and went and when I see them again they go from past to future in the blink of an eye. In many ways reaching different stages at different times than your friends can be a wonderful blessing...you can share parenting tips, new career expectations, assist with life changing events such as divorce or a move. At other times it is emotional. Holding a friend's new baby knowing that the next baby in my life will likely be my first grandchild. Or seeing someone who didn't have a stage such as parenthood or marriage either by choice or circumstance and knowing that everyone has a different path to travel. Whatever stages my friends and I are in, it's a heck of a lot of fun to be involved in life as it flies by.
With the reach of social media sites like Facebook, I occasionally will see a picture of someone from my past. It's often jarring. The way I remember someone is not the way they look years after they were in my life. Important life stages came and went and when I see them again they go from past to future in the blink of an eye. In many ways reaching different stages at different times than your friends can be a wonderful blessing...you can share parenting tips, new career expectations, assist with life changing events such as divorce or a move. At other times it is emotional. Holding a friend's new baby knowing that the next baby in my life will likely be my first grandchild. Or seeing someone who didn't have a stage such as parenthood or marriage either by choice or circumstance and knowing that everyone has a different path to travel. Whatever stages my friends and I are in, it's a heck of a lot of fun to be involved in life as it flies by.
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