Love Your Family
Southern Mama : Time Marches On By : Phillicia Ritch
A character in one of my favorite movies , Steel Magnolias said , “ Honey , time marches on and eventually you realize it ’ s marchin ’ across your face .” I think it would have been better if she had said , “ Honey , time marches on and eventually you realize it ’ s marchin over your heart .” Maybe face was right . Lord knows I seem to cry at the drop of a hat these days . I am at the stage in my life where I have one with learner ’ s license and one studying for the driver ’ s test . All the milestones are going by so quickly , that it is hard to breath at times . These high school years have been hard on this Mama ’ s heart ! All of this windshield time has turned my thoughts back a few years to the car seat age . I miss those days dearly . I would buckle them up , put their sippy cups in the cup holder , and a bag of snacks or toys in between them on the seat . Away we would go on errands or a road trip . My children always loved music . They would sit in the back singing at the top of their little lungs . Southern Rock , Country , Praise and Worship music , it did not matter to them . It did not matter if they knew the right words . They would just make the words up as they went . My son knew every word to , Drift Away by the Doobie brothers . He would sing , “ Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul , I wanna get lost in your rock ' n roll and drift away Oh . Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul , I wanna get lost in your rock ' n roll and drift away ” He would smile and wave at all the people listening to him when we would stop at the red lights . You would have thought he was on stage with a grand audience . LOL ! A . J . also loved the Garth Brooks song Two Pina Coladas . However , he thought the lyrics were 2 pink koalas . We had recently taken him to the zoo where he had seen koala bears for the first time . He also loved pirates because of the movie Peter Pan . He would sing , “ I set sail with Captain Hook to never , never , land Any troubles I forgot ' em I buried ' em them with Peter Pan .” My daughter who seldom spoke loved to sing . She loved the song , Baby Girl by Sugarland . Kaitlin rarely remembered the words to songs but she would hum or babble in tune incoherently when it came on the radio . One particular morning her Daddy had joined me to run errands . My daughter chose that morning to sing a portion of the lyrics . She sat in the car and in the sweetest most precious little voice you ever heard sang , “ Well , remember me in ribbons and curls I still love you more than anything in the world . Love , Your baby girl .” She melted my husband ’ s heart that day ! One day my little incoherent singing baby girl embarrassed me half to death . Kids have knack for doing that ! I was taking my son to school . I was in the car rider line . Every day the teachers would be there to open the car door to allow a child to exit the vehicle in safety . I was paying attention to the teacher directing traffic and was not paying attention to the song on the radio . The song was Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson . I pulled up to the designated area to let my son out . The teacher opened the door . My babbling little princess chose that moment to developed perfect linguistic skills . She pumped her little fist in the air , while simultaneously throwing her Disney Princess sparkly pink sippy cup at the back of my head , and yelled , “ Hell Yeah !” There were 5 teachers there and every one of them heard her perfectly . I was so embarrassed . A . J . was mortified and said , “ Sissy , noooooo ! You cannot sing that part .” The teachers were laughing hysterically . I drove off red from shame and embarrassment . Time is marching on and it is definitely marching over my heart . They are no longer safely buckled into their car seats . They are in the driver ’ s seat . I ask God daily to place his hand of protection on them . I cannot help but grow nostalgic as I watch them turn into the person God created them to be . He has a plan and purpose for their life . He allowed me the privilege and honor of nurturing and guiding them . At this point in their lives , “ My mouth is yelling , brake , brake , brake !” because they still cannot get the timing right to stop correctly at an intersection but that is not them only screaming “ brake !” My heart is shouting it , too .