Life
What will the characters do next?
By Lisa Quaschnick

There are so many things in my life for which I am truly grateful. The biggest blessing in my life is, of course, my family and friends. And many times I find myself reflecting on my life especially taking notice when there are major events, like my daughter's eighth grade graduation.

This time in my "reflecting period", I started to mourn the fact that I am now officially the mother of a high school student. "I can't be that old?" "How did this happen to me?" "How does she grow up so fast?" Then I realized how truly selfish I was being. I started thinking back about my high school years, college years, and more recent years. I realized how much fun I have had, and was amazed by how many blessings I have received. In my adulthood I've experienced the thrill of making new friends, the excitement of moving into a one bedroom apartment with three roommates, the joy of finding a $20 bill in my coat pocket, the anxiety of starting a new job, the adventure of a new vacation destination, the satisfaction of buying a new car, and the hope that he'll ask me to marry him. And motherhood.

Then I realized that as much as I do not want my daughter to grow up, what I want more is for her to be able to experience these things, too. So I am not looking at this as a chapter that has ended, but as a new chapter that has begun. Hmmm... I wonder what the characters in this book will do now. I can't wait to find out!