Time Passages

It's an older persons lament, "it seems like it was yesterday." I was in working on Elena's room, and yes to me it seems like I started that yesterday. I was painting the door jam and trim from her room to the future and past office. Up and down the trims I went, going back to parts of the trim I'd painted earlier making sure there were no drips and what was still visable of the fancy part of the trim was not more obscured. On an up stroke I come face to face with the lines I put on the door jam for the heights of the girls. Nastia's on the left, Elena's on the right. They start on 9-18-2010, Nastia at 53 inches and Elena at 53 inches. I stop a few days before Christmas in 2015. Elena had gone from the previous year's 62 inches to 63 1/2 inches. Nastia had fallen behind her sister and quit growing. In 2013 she was 60 inches, 2014 60 1/2. In 2015 there is no mark because she was still the same height. She was not at all pleased. I was in Target with Nastia the other day when she said she needs pants. I say ok and she makes a right turn and I follow. She heads into the childrens section, towards the jeans. She measure pant up against herself, some fit others are a little short. She looks at me and says, "It sucks shopping in the kids section, but for ten bucks, you can't go wrong." I laugh and try to imagine what that must be like. She looks over at the underwear and says, "I need adult underwear." and walks away. Another fun time passages, hey I'm getting slow and forgetful. I could have started this whole column off talking about the song time passages by Al Stewart* Well this time passages is I worked some more on Elena's room. I taped some more trim and painted around the door, where I came across some lines I drew on the door frame showing how tall the girls were getting. I remember how my

mom used to do it during the month of August we'd spend upstate. She'd draw the line at the top of our heads as we tried to stand up as tall as possible. The lines were drawn on the door frame from the kitchen to the dinning room. Then one day my dad is painting the door trim and paints over the lines, like it was nothing. I was disappointed. Back in Elena's room I painted around the pencil marks not getting to close to the lines. They can stay for a little longer.

*Time Passages Al Stewart It was late in December, the sky turned to snow All round the day was going down slow Night like a river beginning to flow I felt the beat of my mind go Drifting into time passages Years go falling in the fading light Time passages Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight Well I'm not the kind to live in the past The years run too short and the days too fast The things you lean on are the things that don't last Well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these Time passages There's something back here that you left behind Oh time passages Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight Hear the echoes and feel yourself starting to turn Don't know why you should feel That there's something to learn It's just a game that you play Well the picture is changing Now you're part of a crowd They're laughing at something And the music's loud A girl comes towards you You once used to know You reach out your hand But you're all alone, in these Time passages I know you're in there, you're just out of sight Time passages Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight Source: LyricFind Songwriters: AL Stewart / Peter White Time Passages lyrics © Spirit Music Group