Where did the time go?  I swear that it was only yesterday that my son’s newborn face became the most vivid memory of my life, one that will remain framed and mounted on the mantle of my mind.  He was so small, so fragile and yet strong enough to completely change my life.  I remember how his head would rest in the palm of my hand with his feet barely touching the bend of my elbow.  My little man, 6 lb. 19 oz. of pure sweetness.

Now fast forward 15 years…

My not so little man now stands before the bathroom mirror, slathering on shaving cream with determined strokes.  He has managed to get it everywhere; the lobes of his ears, the middle of his forehead and even on the back of his neck.  A brand spanking new razor sits perched on the sink ready to be put to use.  Then, with a deep breath and subtle squaring of his shoulders he picks up his shiny new razor and makes the first stroke with surprising confidence.    Now a long slow exhalation when nothing started to bleed, another stroke more sure this time and another.  Each stroke revealing again that beautiful face, so different but still so much the same.

As I stood in the doorway watching him take another step closer to adulthood I suddenly realized that this little ritual heralded the beginning of his journey into a life that didn’t include “Mommy” in the same way as it has in the past.  And while my heart aches at the thought, I am filled with a sense of rightness, a deep sense of pride at the wonderful young man he has become.

Kat