I found myself staring at the majestic Eiffel Tower soaring 1,000 feet into the beautiful and constantly-changing Parisian sky. The changing hues of colors hinted darkness was soon approaching as the sun continued its timeless trek to the west. The same sun providing light and warmth to our relentlessly spinning planet was waiting patiently to awaken many of you to a new day.
I watched our three boys, Troy, Raymond and Ryan and several other children from our small town, running toward the Eiffel Tower. They carried with them often-jostled and frequently-kicked yellow, blue, and white soccer balls, which fell from their little hands before striking the small, old stones at the base of the tower. Stones laid by hand hundreds of years ago.
I then heard a sudden roar as thousands of people began cheering on this warm Friday evening in Paris, France. I don't know if I heard the yelling and screaming first or saw the sudden twinkling of the white LED lights, which seemed to breathe fresh life into the Eiffel Tower.
All of the children and each of us adults smiled broadly as we witnessed the sudden show of lights and dynamic colors of this iconic monument. When first built in 1889, the tower was loathed by many Parisians who thought it was too brash or of bad design. The Eiffel Tower is now acclaimed worldwide as a vibrant and passionate symbol of an international city that is home to more than 10 million residents.
At that moment, I realized we were thankfully no longer in San Diego, and the challenges we faced getting to Europe, a year delayed, were all worth it. It was one of the first of countless new experiences we would enjoy during our relatively short stay in England, France and Spain.
As I sipped a deliciously strong cappuccino the next morning, I was reflecting on our family's bountiful servings of new experiences over the last few days. Our youngest son, Ryan, then approached me with something that was not only a repeat event, but would likely be the last time we would share this particular experience between the two of us.
Ryan started the conversation with, "Dad can you fix this?" He still had a sleepy look in his beautiful almond-shaped eyes as he extended his swimsuit toward me in his outstretched right hand. I saw the problem immediately.
Hanging loose and lifeless from one side of his swimsuit was the elastic, adjustable waistband. It was almost completely pulled out and looked like a piece of overcooked bacon as it hung down from the side of his swimsuit. I knew with him now being all of nine years old he would no longer allow Theresa or me to buy him adjustable pants, shorts or anything else. They are simply "not cool" anymore.
In years past, this recurring adjustable waistband problem would creep up at the most inopportune times, like minutes before going to church, a wedding or some other special event. The pressure was always on and often compounded by the fact that not just one of our sons, but likely two or even all three of them were out of adjustment. The adjustable waist is a terrific, but imperfect, invention to save parents from buying more pants as their children grow so quickly.
For the first time ever, I was sincerely glad to see it happen, because I knew as time marches on, I would look back in years to come and dream of making one of our sons so very happy by just keeping his swimsuit from falling to his ankles.
It took me about 15 minutes, but I meticulously threaded the strap through his waistband so his re-sizable shorts fit his little frame. I handed his shorts back to him as he said, "thanks, Dad." He then quickly changed into the swimsuit since he knew today was the day we would be swimming in the beautiful Gardon River in Southern France, which is located under Pont du Gard, a bridge and aqueduct system built by the ancient Romans.
I watched as he jumped from a 20-foot rock cliff into the chilly water. It was a first for Ryan, but likely a last for his re-sizable shorts. When he is older he will likely chuckle at the thought of a few thousand people knowing about those shorts, yet it will certainly bring a smile to my face. A fitting end to just another moment in time that reminds me once again how each day is a true blessing that cannot be repeated, but can be a treasured memory we all hold close to our hearts.
Theresa and I hope you each enjoy the firsts and lasts you may see today and each day in the future. By recognizing them, I hope you can appreciate how fast and furiously time passes us all by.
Au revoir,
Ray and Theresa Shay
2013 - All Rights Reserved
