Changing Times

Is it just me, or God decide to stack my life with with more life-changing experiences in the the last six months than the four years preceding it? Just to review, in the last six months my cousin passed away, I graduated from college, started my first full-time job, my sister gets married (and I get a brother-in-law), and now, my cousin Gab, the closest person to an older brother I ever had, is a dad.

I want to say this is the first time I had ever seen a newborn at the hospital. I'm the youngest of my family, so I never had the privilege to welcome a baby brother or baby sister into the world. Often the first time I'd see a newborn cousin was at the next family party. And if I ever had come to see a newborn in the hospital, I was probably too young to remember.

But this time was different. This was the first time that someone I grew up with had a kid. I remember when Gab's family would visit my family in the Bay Area. It was always exciting when they visited because they were the only cousins who were older that were in the States. The most memorable things Gab introduced me to: spider-fighting and Nintendo. My favorite Gab quote: "my farts smell like cologne."

But as with all of us, we grew up. So it was somethin' to see Sunday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai. I saw Gab there holding his daughter, but it wasn't the same person I knew. He transformed. Maybe that's what happens when you see a first-born. Gab and his wife became parents. When my cousins first saw their niece, they became aunties. My aunt & uncle: they became grandparents. And I changed too. I saw my future. And knowing how quickly Gab changed in the last few years, it's a future that feels like it's fast coming.

Maybe that's what the last six months are supposed to teach me. That life happens. And it waits for no one. And it wasn't until I got my head out of my textbooks and actually looked up to realize how fast it changes. And the realization has left me humbled and dizzy, wondering where this life will lead me, and praying that I'm aware enough not to miss it.

So I leave this message for Gab. Congratulations, man. First a husband, now a father. Both those roles suit you well. I've followed you since we were little, and my path diverged from yours as we tried to find ourselves, I find myself looking back to your example for guidance. You've become quite the man, and for that I give the utmost admiration and respect. I wish you and Jill well on this next phase of your lives...

...hopefully, with better smelling cologne.