Alan NeSmith
Just before dusk Wednesday evening, I jumped on my riding lawn mower to trim the grass ahead of the rain. Pulling around to the front of our house, I could see Heather, William and Fenn being led on a walk by our seventeen-year-old pup, Bella.
As I made my first lap around the front yard, I pulled back on the throttle and took note of my four loved ones walking down the street. Fenn and William are now taller than their mother.
It seems like New Year’s Day was just last week. And now we’re in the last days of May. Picking back up to my normal cutting speed, I remembered a conversation with my PaPa when he was in his late 80s about how fast time flies. As we enjoyed the cool breeze of a fan on his screened in porch in Mitchel County, PaPa looked at me with a big smile and said, “Son, at my age, it seems like about the time I get the Christmas tree put up in the attic, it’s time to take it back out again.”
This weekend is the annual Mountain Laurel Festival. And if you have not taken the time to admire the blooms on the Mountain Laurels this year, you need to. In 2010 we attended our first Mountain Laurel Festival with William riding on my shoulders.
Making our way up the Mauldin House, William spit his pacifier on the sidewalk and turned on his “siren.” With a look of panic on my face, I spotted a smile on a friendly face and asked, “Do you know where I can wash off his pacifier?” After leading me to a sink, Lane Gresham introduced herself and soon William settled back down. Thanks, Lane!
Tuesday evening, I watched William walk across the stage at the eighth-grade graduation ceremony at Tallulah Falls School. Trying to keep my eyes from leaking, my mind rewound to his kindergarten graduation in the old sanctuary of Level Grove Baptist Church. Heather had me recording the kindergarten graduation with a video camera as my eyes began to leak profusely. Then, after wiping them a few times, I made the battlefield decision to proudly wear my tears.
Our boy is heading to high school next year and his daddy is not ready. I know I’m not the only one with flowing emotions right now as Father Time marches on. Last Friday, Matt Hayes and I were talking about their daughter Cassie graduating high school this week. He asked me to pray for his wife and Sassy I have been.
Here’s to the Class of 2023 and a great Mountain Laurel Festival. And too, all the rough and tough dads with watery eyes, it’s OK to shed a tear or two as we watch our babies grow.
Alan NeSmith is the chairman of Community Newspapers Inc. Reach him at 706-778-4215 or anesmith@TheNortheastGeorgian.com.