Search
-
May 14, 2026Welcome to “Maycember” - a time of year every mother knows to be twice as busy as the Christmas holidays and three times as chaotic. As the mother of a high school senior, this year is especially poignant as my daughter completes her final year of Catholic school and prepares for the next steps in her life.
I see friends and acquaintances posting on social media all the “lasts” that our seniors are experiencing this month, and wanting time to “slow down.” For them it seems that chronos (clock time) and kairos (moments in time or God’s time) are measured differently. Saint John Paul II said “in giving life, he also gives time. The time we have available to us is a gift that God offers us.” For me, both clock time and God’s time feel the same. I loved having her small and witnessing all of her firsts, and I felt happiness and pride in those passing moments in real time.
I’ve never cried over past milestones, but I have shed tears. During the stress of college visits and applications, my daughter fell in love with an out-of-state school with stricter admissions guidelines. When the decision email arrived, my ADHD-prone child didn’t read the email, only the subject, and only partially. She thought she had been declined, and emailed me at work to share her disappointment. My stomach sank, but I replied to question her about what exactly the email said. Several minutes later, she emailed again saying, “I GOT IN!” A wave of relief, excitement, and joy overtook me and I loudly choked out to my coworkers down the hall “She got in!” as tears ran down my face. One coworker exclaimed, “Are you CRYING?” I was. I’d never been more excited for my child and what comes next for her. Time is God’s gift.
Joy has weight, and love has a voice. My joy comes not from missing days gone by, but from experiencing parenthood in all its phases. God means for us to raise good, faithful adults. Appreciate your children’s moments in real time, and do not be afraid to look forward to what comes next. That may be even more exciting than what happened yesterday.