Where has the time gone?

We dreamed about you and then you appeared, at first a confirmation on a screen, then in an invisible yet undeniable fashion over the course of nine months.

Your sister came along four years later, eliciting the same amount of wonder and excitement.

Where has the time gone?

I saw you and your sister and my heart melted. You were our pride and joy. We showed you off, but our favorite times were spent in the house, holding you and marveling over the family we became.

Where has the time gone?

The milestones. The crawling and walking. The first words. First day of school. The cuteness, the smile, the personality.

Where has the time gone?

You became our sidekick. So many interests. So intelligent. Cooking with mom. Sports with dad. Twirling, flying, gliding.

Isabelle, I’m amazed by your empathy, your awareness, your wisdom. All at such a young age.

Juliet, I’m amazed by your emotional intelligence, your humor, your heart.

Where has the time gone?

You both had to withstand a move to another state. A new school, new friends, new activities. Kindergarten and fourth grade during COVID-19 (in a house with slow Wi-Fi at that!).

I’m amazed by your resilience and your strength through adversity. I’m amazed at how you comfort each other. Best friends forever.

I’ve realized every day that you teach me things.

Where has the time gone?

Isabelle, I am amazed at your focus. You’re still someone who can be silly and let her hair down, but you have goals. You have discipline. You have work ethic. You always do your homework. You eat healthy. You get your sleep. You work out.

Juliet, I also see developing focus in you at age 10. You try hard in all that you do. You know when to have fun and when to hone in on a task.

You both are way ahead of where I was when I was your ages.

Where has the time gone?

Isabelle, you got through a middle school spent in two different schools. You found out more about yourself, putting yourself out there when it wasn’t comfortable. You dealt with friends moving and other difficult situations. You persisted and thrived.

Juliet, one more year for you until middle school. I can’t believe it. You make friends so easily and are so resilient.

Where has the time gone?

Isabelle, next week, you will walk into high school for the first time. You will do it with your head held high, with equal parts nervousness and excitement. What I do know is that you will give your all in everything, and that’s what a parent can ask.

Juliet, fifth grade for you, no longer a little child. You will lead this year and will continue to grow into the beautiful person you are.

Where has the time gone?

Isabelle, you are in the midst of playing on the high school soccer team. That has been a goal of yours for some time. I’ve watched you put in the work. Nobody is prouder than me to see you out there pursuing something you love.

Where has the time gone?

You’re excited for your first homecoming, about soon learning to drive. You’re looking forward to what’s next.

Your mom and I, we can look into the future and see things that once seemed so far away.

I can’t really remember my first day of school, but I can certainly remember my first day of high school. My college graduation. My wedding. When I first met you.

Soon enough, you’ll be starting college the same year your sister starts high school.

The cycle of joy and milestones will repeat.

Your mom and I will soak up every moment with wonder and pride, garnished with the slightest dash of a bittersweet ingredient.

Where has the time gone?

Being a parent is being involved with thousands of daily tasks — entries on a calendar. Drive here, be there at that time. Sign this form. Make sure that lunch is packed.

It’s so easy for any given day to feel like a grind.

When you step out, though, and look at the thousand-foot view, you see a series of milestones unwinding in front of you, some you don’t realize in the moment.

Where has the time gone?

Milestones remind us that this time we put into our family is part of a natural rhythm and purpose and that it’s all been worth it.

Alpena native Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier in Findlay, Ohio, the Sandusky (Ohio) Register, The Advertiser-Tribune in Tiffin, Ohio, the Norwalk (Ohio) Reflector, and Review Times in Fostoria. Ohio. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.