The Days Are Long, but the Years Are Short

by Feb 8, 2023Special Needs Parenting, Spiritual Support0 comments

Whether Jolene is interacting with her grandson or reflecting on her son's early years, the days are long, but the years are short.

“The days are long, but the years are short.”

I repeat this phrase while I sit on the couch listening to my 7-year-old grandson read for a half hour every evening.

Each time he turns a page, he says something like, “Wow, Grammy! What do you think that is?” or “I wonder what will happen next?” He ignores the words on the page and launches into several winding, imaginative explanations.

My grandson really, really likes to talk. And use his imagination. As for the reading part? Not so much.

Which is why I eventually have to suggest, “Read the page and find out.”

He follows my suggestion—he can read more fluently than he believes—and finds out. Then he turns the page and begins the same process all over again.

To contain my impatience, I whisper to myself, “The days are long, but the years are short.”

One evening as we read, my mind wandered back to when our son was young and medically fragile. When complications arose—maybe he had a fever, refused to eat because of an oral aversion, or vomited his food because of an esophageal blockage—our days were very, very long.

Should we wait to see if he got better? Or worse?

Could we wait until morning to go to the doctor? Or call him right now?

Should we race to the emergency room in our car? Or should we call the ambulance?

Not only were the days long, but also the nights.

When our son turned four, I told my mother, “The years since he was born feel like a lifetime. Maybe it’s because we haven’t gotten a complete night of sleep since he was born.”

Mom smiled and said, “The days are long, but the years are short.”

To read the rest of The Days Are Long, but the Years Are Short, visit the Hope Anew website.

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Image by Donnie0102 from Pixabay 

By Jolene

Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Sing!, the second book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in November of 2022.

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Meet Jolene

Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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