Today I experienced one of life’s not so subtle reminders that life marches on whether I am ready or not. When Randall was 5 years old and Daniel was 2 years old, we had a very responsible 16 year old baby-sit for us. The boys loved having a male babysitter. And then life marched on. That 16 year old babysitter recently turned 30. The pace picked up some momentum when Daniel left for college and Randall took the entrance examination for law school. And then today reality hit once again.

My former babysitter and his sweet wife experienced the birth of their firstborn this morning. Griffin entered this world before lunchtime today. Griffin’s father survived the antics of my boys 14 years ago, so surely he is well prepared to take on his paternal duties. I could not be more thrilled for him.

This time of joy for a young family is a serving as a stark reminder to me. Life is moving on. I was 32 years old when Chris babysat my older boys. But I am not 32 today. And my boys are not 5 and 2. Time seems to move faster than it did when the boys were small. What is the proper reaction to that reality?

Those of us who are rapidly approaching 50 had better embrace some key concepts at this juncture in our lives. I have never formed a bucket list of things I want to do or accomplish in life, but I do have given some thought to the general direction that I hope my life can take. Here are my ideas for those of us who comprise the tale end of the Baby Boomer Generation:

• I want to spend as much time as possible developing and using the gifts and talents that God has given me. At this point in life, I am not interested in trying to be a square peg in a round hole.

• It is imperative to give proper attention to matters of health and fitness. I have failed in this department to a large degree. That must change.

• I am interested in cultivating lifelong friendships. I am like many of my peers. I have been privileged to be reunited with childhood friends in the past couple of years. I intend to make the most of such opportunities by deepening those friendships during an important time in each of our lives.

• Those closest to me have helped me to realize that there are things that I am distinctively suited to do. I am going to stop beating myself up for all of the areas of life where I fall short and focus more on the ways that I can be uniquely of service to others.

• I am excited about approaching the time of the empty nest at home. Raising our boys has been a great source of joy. But I can tell that the empty nest time is going to much like being boyfriend and girlfriend all over again with my sweet bride.

Welcome to the world Griffin Robey. You are blessed with a wonderful mom and dad. And you have two sets of amazing grandparents. Your dad was no doubt warped by the babysitting the Knox boys back in the day. And he has been further affected by all three of them during the time he has been their youth minister. Life will march on and you will be in the teen youth group soon. I hope you will come and visit me in the old folk’s home. But before I reach that point I have a few things I want to accomplish!

What about you? If you are reading this post, have you given thought to things you want to accomplish in life? What is your perspective on your own gifts and talents? I hope today that you do not feel like a square peg in a round hole.