Looking Back

Looking Back
by Cathy Windham

Where does the time go?
I used to have so much.  Days lasted
forever.  Once when I was sick with the flu, I swore I thought I would never get well.  After that, it was exam week and I was certain each day of torture would never end.  The day I missed the bus lasted forever until I could explain to my dad when he got home from work.  That day was especially long.  Snow days lasted for days!  I remember playing all day and well into the night.  I had no clue what time it was.  The kids down the street stayed little forever in my mind.
Time ticked by and I did not notice.
The first time the clock snuck up on me I was graduating college and marrying the following week.  Planning my wedding, studying, exams and graduation occured the same week.  It was over before I could blink.  State Board exams, cooking, cleaning, finding a job and working happened in unison.  Children, working, wife, cleaning and gym mom consumed my days.  Years marched on like weeks.
Disease diagnosis slowed the days to
a standstill as we breathed slowly
and tried to take it all in and make the most of each precious minute together.
Where does the time go?  It evaporated like the mist on my bathroom mirror.

Cathy Windham
8/17/14