Movies from the past

I love watching these old tapes. Everyone looks so young, so free, so ready to experience life. We watched our proposal video. Cyndi was barely 22 years old, and had no clue that only after three months of dating, I was about to pop the question. In front of her parents, her sisters, my parents, my brother, her (at the time; now our) brother-in-law, my (at the time; now our) sister-in-law and niece, and our friends. Our skin was so tight, clean, and worry free. It was a nice reminder of from where our love grew.

We also watched the kids from when they were five and two. You forget how little they once were. You forget how innocent they once were. You forget how impressionable they once were, how sweet they always were, how protective a big brother can be, how funny children are, how focused they can be.

There's a downside to watching old tapes too. That downside: it reminds you of what life once was. Adults tend to be nostalgic about the past. Children, as we learned last night, might get critical. When she went to bed last nigh, after watching her "former self" on the screen for an hour, Lily was inconsolable. Through tears, she told me how she's not the sweet little girl she was when she was three. The movies from her past may have jarred her more than anyone expected. She was sad because she felt she's not following the same path she may have once taken. She was hard on herself, but aren't we all?

And here's the thing: I don't think anyone would ever describe my child as anything other than a sweet, innocent, caring, loving being. I know I am biased, but she has the benefit of learning from her parent's mistakes. We try to teach our children the value of relationships, and I think we've done a good job thus far. We used this as a learning opportunity. I'm sure she's not scarred for life from this.

Speaking of the value of relationships, we also caught a short glimpse of my 30th birthday party. We were living on Waveland Avenue in Chicago, made some simple appetizers, bought a keg of beer, and a cake, and invited our friends to enjoy in a celebration. The most spectacular thing I cherish, is the fact that most of the people in the tape are still in my life. These are the people with whom we will celebrate on Saturday. People I met when I was 18. People I've laughed with, lived with, cried with, got drunk with, worked with. People who I've watched graduate from college, get married, have babies, lose parents. My mother was there. My brother, Ira, was there. My dad was there.

I'm glad these people are still in my life. I'm glad they will be with me 10 years later, where there won't be any keg stands, shots of Jack, or cake thrown in my wife. We're much too mature and civilized for that nonsense now...right?

:)

Yep, I threw in a :)...