David and I aren't planning to have children, but we both enjoy the company of the kids in our respective families. My sister's eldest son had just turned one when we first met, and his nieces and nephews were all under the age of ten. David's sister in Ottawa has four kids, now ranging between 12 and 19, and we have been going to their hockey games whenever possible for years. They used to swarm down the ice after the puck, which I referred to as "bowling for 6-year-olds" because one fallen child would inevitably splay along like a starfish, knocking down half of the other players. Tonight we watched 16-year-old boys (called "midgets" despite their size and height) play three full periods of real, hard hockey.
There is nothing that marks the passage of time in my life like watching these children grow into adolescents and onto adulthood. Deadlines come and go, goals are achieved or abandoned, dogs get stiffer through the hips and grayer around the muzzles -- none of these provide the sudden shocks that come with seeing kids only once or twice a year. I never worry much about time and mortality, but sometimes it makes my breath catch in my throat.
After the game the family loaned us some skates so that we can enjoy the Rideau Canal tomorrow morning. I am also looking forward to enjoying a Beaver Tail.
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Beaver Tails are my absolutely most favourite thing about being in Ontario and Quebec... Haha! :)
Those Beaver Tails look like a great after skating treat.
The passage of time is swift. It seems a few years ago my three children were little and now they are all grown, two with children of their own. Time marches on quickly, so it's important to enjoy each day to the fullest with our families, friends and critters.
Ooh! Those look yummy!
I know what you mean about watching the kids grow up. When my ex-sister in law got pregnant and called me a couple years ago (she is younger and still thinks of me as her sister), I remember telling her that she wasn't old enough. She was 24 at the time. (While that still might be debate-able, in my mind, I still think of her as 13-14.)
I know what you mean. My little cousin, the only kid I ever babysat, is about to graduate from high school. Ack!
Oh that Canal looks like a blast DP!
Okay...tell me about "beaver tails"!
Yup, our nephews are 18 now...and that is amazing...ince I watched them being born!
haha! KK
I love your "bowling-for-six-year-olds" description. Also, the breath catch in your throat comment resonated poignantly, as I prepare to attend my niece's wedding in July. I never had a beaver tail - actually went to the link to see what they are. Strange, because my sister played a large part in the Winterlude planning for years, and I did skate with the family on the canal once. (Hope they were as enjoyable as they look.) Also ran my first (of only two) marathons along the Rideau. Ottawa's good lattes are few and far between, but it does have its charms.
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