Time Machine - 1980

As I was cleaning out the computer room and putting things into save and toss piles, I came across some old photo albums with very old photos. Photos of me in my teen years...about the same age as my youngest daughter now - wow, what memories they recalled. Memories and the plain clear fact that there is no fountain of youth to get that "oh so young" look back! I wonder if I would've done things differently back then if I knew I had a chance to? Would I have been a dental assistant? a word processor in a bank? a mom? a wife? would I have moved to another country?

I remember having several friends in my 20's who traveled a lot. I always envied them that they were able to afford to go off to some far off place and experience things that I couldn't. Every penny I earned had to pay for my car payment, rent, food, etc. There was nothing left over at the end of the month. Boo hoo....

But, had I not gone through the things I did back then, it wouldn't have prepared me for the "real" world...the one where money doesn't grow on trees...the one where things aren't just "handed" to you...the one where you have to work for the things you want. So, as I reminisce about being 18 again, I can say without a doubt that I would not change a single thing about my life. Every thing that happens, happens for a reason. As the chain of events unfold in each of our lives, it prepares the path for our futures. God has already planned our futures for us...he already knows what's going to happen in our lives before we do...so, there is no fighting our future and aging...it happens to us all.

Circa 1980 - My High School Graduation

Circa 2006 - Middle Daughter's High School Graduation

Circa 2009 - Baby Girl's High School Graduation

Any resemblances between us?