Reality sets in.... again!

This week I had another reality check. Jason will be a teenager this year and the proof was in the pudding on Tuesday. For the first time Jason is attending a church youth trip, they're visiting Nauvoo, and they'll be returning tomorrow. Before he left I had the "Be responsible"-talk and the "Be an example"-talk. And then we headed to his dad's clinic to say good-bye to dad. At the clinic he had every head turn to look at him. He was dressed in his Sunday clothes (shirt and tie), hair all perfect, and he walked straighter than most of the soldiers in the room. Once word had spread in the clinic to 'come see the Draper boy who's all decked out' I realized that he really is a young man now. Everyone commented on how much he's grown and how much older he looks. For a moment I could feel a tear coming on with the thoughts of so many years just flashing by of Jason from when he was a baby until now. (Tearing up again.) I love my boys at every age, and even though I look forward to the coming years and seeing them grow and mature into men, I always miss the years that have passed. Reality checks are always a good thing for me. It always helps me to realize how much I've been blessed and how much I have to be thankful for.