When my first son was born in 1991, I remember calculating that he would graduate high school in 2010. In that moment, I could not fathom a time so far off or how quickly that day would come. I also distinctly recall the turn of the century and the doomsayers who predicted all manner of destruction as the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000. And yet, here we are in 2025. I can scarcely take it in…the swiftness of the passing of time and the brevity of life itself.

The past six years have been some of the most difficult of my life. My Dad died suddenly in May of 2019 following a fifth knee replacement. As I cared for my Mom after his passing, it soon became apparent she was sinking into the depths of dementia. Her grief at Dad’s death was matched only by the psychosis that manifested in fits of weeping and screaming. She looked at me with eyes filled with terror and mistrust. And yet I loved her so much that I couldn’t bear to lose her so soon after my Dad. That cry of my heart was answered, but the long goodbye that ensued was just as painful. Mom finally gained the reward of heaven in May of 2023, living longer than I ever thought possible given her broken heart. She grew blissfully unaware of the man she’d adored and the children she’d raised. The brief sweet moments of recognition became fewer and far between until she slipped peacefully into her Savior’s arms. Not only did I lose my Mom, but the time had come to sell my childhood home; the only home I’d ever known until the day I married. The year was rife with heart-rending moments that left me in a limbo of numbness.

And yet, God gave two of my greatest blessings in that same time period. In 2020, our first grandchild arrived. And two years later, her brother made his appearance. The miracle of new life is never so overwhelming as when you hold a beloved child’s child in your arms. Each one is precious and unique, and each finds a place in your heart you never knew existed. Another unexpected blessing was having many of my parents’ lovely belongings to furnish our new home in North Carolina. It’s become a beautiful mix of old and new, filled with memories of the past and new memories in the making with our children and grandchildren. Job 1:21 reminds me, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The passing of time has eased my heartache at losing my parents. For a while, I just kept thinking, “I was an orphan before my parents adopted me and now I’m an orphan again.” And I was stuck, surrounded by a sea of my parents’ possessions I couldn’t bear to part with but didn’t need. During six peaceful weeks by myself at our place by the sea, I was able to unclutter my heart of many of the emotions that were bottled up over the past six years, then go home to PA and begin the task of uncluttering our home. I know my parents are whole and happy in heaven, but having to dismantle their earthly home tore me apart. God put me back together again through the love of my family and friends, and the support of my husband who was a rock through it all.

I don’t know what this year holds, but I know how precious each moment is. Time will inevitably slip away, but “these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)