"harder, better, faster, stronger."

hours spent around newborn babies inspires so much contemplation. these babies are just starting their lives...so much uncertainty around them. you can only catch glimpses of their future through their parents and family. i look at my own life and i ask myself...

"when did i grow up?"

how did i grow up? seriously...where has the time gone? how did i go from being generally care-free last year to taking care of new lives and people in need? my older friends are getting married and/or starting families of their own. others are graduating and moving on to higher education or the beginning of their careers. vocations are being made for a lifetime. i'm going to be a nurse along with the rest of my peers by the time fall arrives. experiences and moments best savored in slow-motion but are lived in a blur.

i find my answer in the father holding his child for the very first time, tears coming down his face with the biggest smile possible. i know it through the classmates i spend 40 hours a week with...and my family and friends that have the rest of my time. i got it by looking at nurses assessing their patients, making small talk with them throughout the day. i realize through every small act of kindness throughout the hospital and on the streets. it's just like the beatles' song...

love, love, love.

in every moment i witnessed love, experienced it, created it, invested into it, multiplied it, divided it, lived it, shared it...i grew up. i have glimpses of each moment by looking at my family, my friends...all my loved ones. i see it through strangers and familiar faces alike. their lives, their love, my love is a confirmation and affirmation of my growth.

everyone gets older, not everyone grows.
love is the only thing that makes that possible.

however fast it happened...i'm blessed to be aware of it. as i continue to grow...i pray that the love in my life gets stronger, keeps maturing. no matter the challenges on the way, no matter the experiences that occur, no matter of the uncertainties that the future provides...i'll keep loving.

as john legend would put it...
where do we go?
who knows...
but each day gets better.

love extraordinarily, grow extraordinarily - jl