In a town called Panic

I'm on my church's Board of Education. We had our monthly meeting tonight.
We were recapping this year's Vacation Bible School successes and areas of improvement.

We looked to our calendars for next year's VBS.

I started to have a panic attack.
Literally.
Like I couldn't breathe.

Somehow, skipping ahead a whole year, made me almost lose it.
My ears turned off of the conversation in front of me.

My brain reeled at what life would throw at me a year from now.

Some things are just givens... new school year, new class of students.
But those aren't the things I was thinking of...

No, I was thinking of my boys ...and how they will have changed ...and how I won't remember how they are now because they are already 5 and 7 and most days I feel like I blink my eyes and they are doing something new or they aren't doing something that I used to think was so cute ...and I wonder if they will remember the good times that we had this summer even though I can't afford to take them on a trip across the country like their dad is preparing to do ...and ...and ...and

...and that is about the time I had to remind myself to breathe.

As everyone else is still throwing out suggestions for next year's VBS, I sit quietly reminding myself that time hasn't flown by yet. That time isn't lost. That I will fully and completely enjoy my next four days with my boys before they are gone for ten.