a Long Life

Tim and I always say that if the Lord decided to take us home today, we still would have lived longer than most people who reach their 90’s. In our case, it has as much to do with the quality of life as it does with the quantity. Or maybe it is the quantity of quality life we squeeze into each day. We often look at each other around midnight and realize that most sane people, who have to be up before dawn, would be sleeping by now. Technically, a morning person (me) is supposed to balance out a night person (Tim). However, what has happened over our 30 years of marriage is that we have met in the middle, around 12:30 am. Many of you can relate. Things start stirring around 5:45 am as our high schoolers drag themselves out of bed in order to shower, read, and refuel before the bell rings at 7:30 am. The day continues with work, appointments, household responsibilities, dinner, concerts, ball games, and homework. Just when you think things should wind down, the teenagers wake up and want to relax and reward themselves for a day of hard work. That’s when the phone starts ringing and the front door starts swinging. Our house seems to be the social vortex and, on any given evening, the faithful gather for food, fun and fellowship. The fire pit glows, the guitars crank up and the refrigerator empties out. I guess if we were smart, we’d put a pillow over our head and get some sleep. But Tim is not one to miss a party and we feel privileged and responsible to oversee the formulation of friendships and the forging of faith that takes place as the kids let down their guard and process the challenges of life they faced that day. If we look tired next time you see us, it’s because we are, but we are also loving this stage of parenting. We can rest in heaven, which at the rate we are going, may be sooner than later. Here’s to short nights and long life, Love, Darcy (written in Spring 2003)