5 Years

What does 5 years feel like? That was the question that I found myself pondering this morning.

Today my eldest son Jonathan turned 5 and one of the first things I did after he woke up was to sit him on my lap and tell him the story of when he was born. It’s one of his favourite stories, and he loves to hear how that day transpired. From the time that my wife entered into labour at about 5am up until when we held our precious newborn in our arms around 10pm. It was a long and wonderful day. One of the best days of my life.

Time is strange. In some ways that day feels like yesterday, I distinctly remember key details of those moments and can still feel the excitement and thrill that experience. Then, likewise I almost can’t remember what life was like before Jonathan was born. It feels like a void, I know that lived those 30 years before Jonathan entered into the world, but they feel so fuzzy and unreal today. They feel like a shadow.

Yes, time is strange but so are our memories. The transience of past experiences is very real to me today as I think back on these last 5 years. Yes, we can try and capture these moments in photographs and movies and yet these are also simply shadows of the actual experience. I am freshly awakened to the importance of making the most of each moment, spending time with my wife and kids, and enjoying their company and cherishing our time together. Life doesn’t get much better than that.