If you have ever spent much time in an airport, you know that just sitting and watching the people can be one of the best ways to pass the time.\u00a0 The airport is full of all kinds of people, coming and going.\u00a0 It’s the perfect spot to sit and watch the world waltz by.<\/p>\n
As I sat in the airport this afternoon, I was drawn to a little boy.\u00a0 His mom had parked his stroller just in front of me.\u00a0 At about 6 months old, he sat there kicking his little tenis-shoed feet, experiencing the wonders of his own movement.\u00a0 It made me nastalgic as I thought about the past pleasures of being a father.<\/p>\n
My kids are pretty much grown.\u00a0 My youngest will soon be getting his drivers permit.\u00a0 The days of carrying my children in my arms or reading them bedtime stories are probably over.\u00a0 They are too old for that sort of thing now, but when did they become so?\u00a0 It happened without me knowing it.\u00a0 There was a last time when I carried Sam in my arms.\u00a0 A last bedtime story I told to Marshall.\u00a0 There was a last time Jacque and I got out the coloring books and shared the wonders of a box of 64 Crayola crayons.\u00a0 There was a last time for each of these.\u00a0 Had I known it was the last time, would I have squeezed a little tighter?\u00a0 Would it have made the story a little sweeter?\u00a0 Would I turn the page and color one more picture?\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I’m not careful, I can start to get sad about all the last times.\u00a0 It’s one thing I don’t like about getting older.\u00a0 It seems there are fewer first times, and an increasing number of last times.\u00a0 One day will be the last time I see a snow fall.\u00a0 The last Christmas for some loved ones. The last birthday card I send.\u00a0 The last hug.\u00a0 I need to cherish each moment like it is the last but also remember there are still some\u00a0 good firsts ahead.\u00a0 The fist grandchild. The first day of vacation.\u00a0 The first few words of a new friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There will always be firsts and lasts.\u00a0 I need to take them as they come, remembering that God has a plan for my life.\u00a0 He is in control of my firsts and lasts and some of the best ones are\u00a0still ahead.\u00a0 Someday, I’ll be able to talk with Him about it.\u00a0 One day will be the last time I get sick.\u00a0 The last time I go to sleep, and the first time I wake up in a wondrous place.\u00a0 The first time the dark glass falls away.\u00a0 And the best first of all:\u00a0 The first time I see Him, face to face.<\/p>\n
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – Ecclesiastes 3:1<\/p>\n
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
\n\u00a0\u00a0 – 1 Corinthians 13:12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you have ever spent much time in an airport, you know that just sitting and watching the people can be one of the best ways to pass the time.\u00a0 The airport is full of all kinds of people, coming and going.\u00a0 It’s the perfect spot to sit and watch the world waltz by.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[19,18,17],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consider","category-misc","tag-first-and-last","tag-life","tag-seasons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=403"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":421,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions\/421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}