As I approach my 53rd birthday, and have two active college students in my life, I find myself wanting to tell them things like, "Enjoy your freedom, health, life (etc. - fill in the blank) while you can, because you don't know what the future holds." There's an old saying that youth is wasted on the young, and I don't remember being particularly thankful for all the blessings of youth while I was in the midst of it.

I'm not sure why I even think such things, though I suspect the thoughts come less from my concerns about my children than about the twists and turns in my own life. My children are, as far as I can tell, living full, productive, joyful lives.

And honestly, what would I expect such advice to accomplish? What if someone told me I should enjoy my life right now because when I'm 65 I'm going to be in a wheelchair? That would just depress me.

None of us knows what the future will bring (and a good thing too). Yes - enjoy the moment, enjoy the blessings God has bestowed in that moment. What more can I ask for?

On a different note, I read a funny piece about parents who clip articles and send them to their adult children. My mother-in-law was a champ at this, and often we had not a clue why she had sent a particular article. The piece conjectured that the parents were trying to continue parenting via the clippings. I would suggest another motive. I think it's an effort to connect, but it is hidden beneath the more acceptable objective of communicqting "important" information. I have not sent clippings to my kids yet, though I've set aside an article or two for my son to check out when he comes home for a visit. I do it because I hope I know what interests him and giving him a tidbit that might interest him seems like a small gift. I do it because maybe we can talk about it.

I imagine some parents are tryng to send important info, and perhaps they think their child will heed it if it comes from an expert in an article (as versus them). How many of you parents tried to teach your kids a lesson which was ignored, and then the same lesson comes from another source and it is embraced as wonderful wisdom?