All We Need

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The days of our life just fall away, as storms passing through on what we hope are mostly sun-filled days.

We keep our legs churning, moving everything forward, hoping our best efforts pay off.

We build our memories, hoping that they’re good ones, but somehow, all we ever need is never quite enough.

Or so it seems.

I considered that all on Monday morning, following a routine task of cleaning out some of the things in the garage, in time for big garbage day.

I worked quickly on Sunday night, cleaning out some lockers that the boys used to store their toys.

The lockers were filled with deflated basketballs, soccer balls, and old plastic hockey sticks.

My 20-something boys are done using that stuff.

I gathered it all, and made a bunch of trips to the garbage tote, and I didn’t give it a second thought…

…or so I thought!

I woke up on Monday morning and headed for the first job with a nagging thought tickling my brain, and my heart felt heavy.

I didn’t know why, but figured it out pretty quickly!

I had thrown out basketballs that we’d won at Darien Lake when we went on trips to the amusement park.

Balls that they’d played with for hours in the driveway.

“Where did that time go?” I asked the interior of my car.

I missed the boys they were while considering the men they are becoming.

All we needed back then was enough, and we knew it, but we spent some of that time, battling storms that weren’t all that important in the grand scheme of things.

I arrived home yesterday afternoon, and my heart sunk a little when I registered that the garbage had been hauled away.

The balls are gone.

The memories remain.

The sun was shining.

It’s Enough.

 

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