My youngest, Dylan has been making a lot of new friends lately. I have never had a kid that is so social and friendly and each new person he meets is, “My best friend”. It started with my daughter’s best friend, which he stole and called her his best friend, and it graduated to people he would just meet at the park. We went to the park on Saturday to let the kids run around after a long day of running around and searching for deals on things for the house.
Dylan immediately started playing with another boy, he followed the boy around and called him his best friend. When the other boy had to leave he stopped and said, “Bye Dylan, I have to go to Target now, it was nice playing with you”. Dylan looked very confused, but just said bye and when back to playing in the sand.
That seems like no big deal to most, but it actually taught me something. I realized that my son did not care how long he got to play with this little boy, or if he would ever see him again, he just enjoyed the time he had with him. It reminded me that I need to let people in more. I can’t worry about when someone might leave for whatever reason. I need to enjoy the time we have, whether 10 minutes, or 10 years.
I will relate this to Memorial day by saying, we need to remember those we have lost, and be grateful for the time we had with them no matter how long or short. We have the freedom to make those connections thanks to those that have served and defended our rights in the past. I thank you to those that gave their lives for our country, and those that are currently willing to do so.