Something has been on my mind lately and it’s something that I can’t seem to shake. No matter where I may go, what I may do, or how hard I may try to ignore it, Time seems to haunt me. Now there’s an interesting thought. It is as though Time is a painting with eery, yet indifferent eyes, that seem to follow you whereever you go. Not so much to menace you, but just to let you know that it’s there. Always there.

Buds on trees are beginning to open one eye, as if the other eye is still half asleep and they want to make sure the coast is clear before committing to a full awakening. Tulips, on the other hand, are throwing caution to the wind as if to say “Get up. It’s time get going!” Every Spring I watch nature wake up with a sense of anticipated nostalgia, remembering the Springs of my childhood and the other years in between. And yet it’s always there.

This weekend Will turned 11 weeks old. My younger sister turned 30 and my father turned 60 (years, not weeks). I remember when my sister was still a baby and my father would have been about my age now. Wow. 30 years ago. What happened to all of that time?

If you think about it, Time is actually a pretty powerful concept. It ushers in new days, seasons, generations. It only recognizes the past by the marks that have been left: memories and emotions being the principle tablet upon which Time writes its tales.

As I grow older, I am beginning to understand Time a little better. I think the key to avoiding the haunting gaze of Time is to recognize that the past is just as good and powerful as the present and the future. That memories and the emotions that accompany them are just as real and true as the budding trees and blooming tulips.

This is the first of Will’s many Springs. I hope that someday he’ll remember the excitement of seeing the first robin, of smelling the tulips, and talking of the opening trout season with his dad. I hope that he will also share those same hopes with his children. But we will all just take things one day at a time. Because that’s all you an really do… listen to the birds, smell the tulips, love those around you, and appreciate the moment you are in.