Thirty Days of Me Photo Challenge: Day Fifteen

 

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Collin with each of his maternal grandparents; my Dad, my Mom & my Step-Dad.

Day Fifteen

Post a photo of something you want to do before you die. Why did you choose this? Do you have a plan set in action so you can accomplish this? If not, what can you do to be sure you do this before you die?

I have a sort of bucket list that I've kept & added to over the years. There are so many things I want to do before I die. Hundreds, maybe thousands of things. Some of the simpler things are: to eat a hot dog in Central Park during the Fall, own a Nikon d5000, visit the natural wonders of the World & participate in NaBloPoMo. Some of the more meaningful things include: becoming a Mom to a baby girl, finally moving to & living in Michigan, becoming an English teacher & speaking at a March of Dimes or loss parent event. Some of the items I've proudly crossed off are: become a Mom to a baby boy, read every book by my favorite authorr (who happens to be Roald Dahl) & to take up photography.

I thought for days about this post. Days. There are even sticky notes on my desk with ideas written on them in different colored inks. One particular thing kept screaming back at me & finally, after my days of pondering, I decided that this must be the number one thing I need to do before I die.

Watch my son become a father.

I am already a sort of grandparent, thanks to the age difference between Greg & I. I have always enjoyed buying gifts for & mailing cards out to Jasmyn, Nevaeh & Ethan. When the girls lived with us, my grandparental duties included making sure they were thoroughly spoiled with birthday, Easter & Christmas gifts, randomly buying small items from the Dollar Spot that I knew they would enjoy & taking thousands, literally thousands of pictures of them. When Ethan visits, it includes baking cookies with him & settling down afterwards with a fun movie...& naturally, loads of picture taking. So, becoming a grandparent is something I feel I've already done, but watching Collin become a father. This is an entirely other event.

I can't imagine how strange it is for my parents to see me as a Mother. Their child, who they've raised, disciplined, praised & watch grow from toddlerhood to womanhood. It must be an amazing & heartbreaking feeling all at the same time. I cannot wait to see the man Collin becomes...okay, maybe I can, I'm in no hurry...& the kind of father he will be.

Without a doubt, this is the number one thing on my bucket list.