One of the young police officers that I am privileged to serve made the comment last night that he used some extra money he had made to purchase a new washer and dryer. He and his wife are expecting a baby, so that is a wise move on his part.  But I popped off my mouth and said:  “I am not buying a washer and dryer. My extra funds are going toward custom made golf clubs.”  Of course that is pure nonsense. But then it hit me today, I made a similar purchase almost exactly 23 years ago…

Our firstborn was 6 months old.  We needed a decent washer and dryer to keep up with the non ending piles of laundry.  I jumped off and bought our first brand new washer and dryer. I was so proud of that purchase. I could not afford to purchase them at the same time, but was able to secure the pair within a few months of each other.

As I pondered my flippant comment about his purchase, a couple of more things occurred to me. The officer is the same age as my oldest son.  They graduated from high school together. And I was reminded that the washer machine I purchased 23 years ago finally gave it up last summer. I sent it away for a decent burial and secured a new one that probably won’t last as long as the 1989 model.

How soon we forget. Life marches on and we forget what it was like to be in an earlier stage in the journey. I have to admit today that I am not a young pup with babies in my house.  I am not buying my first washer and dryer this year. Nor am I buying custom made golf clubs, because those babies are driving, getting a higher education, and moving toward independence. Anything extra that I make is going in that direction.

I realize as a new year begins one of my primary roles is to support young men that ARE buying washer and dryers as they anticipate the arrival of a new baby.That time of life has it own set of challenges. Hopefully my gray hair and life experience will bring something positive and encouraging to their journey. I really should be more cautious about the custom made golf club comments too. I don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture of what parenthood holds for them!