Well, I don't know what to say...first day of K-5...big school - where did the time go? I realize that there has always been 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, but as we get older they seem to go by so much faster, don't they?

I've thought a lot about life recently as I knew this day was approaching. During the retrospect, I saw this weekend an interview with Brett Favre as he was asked some questions about life and his career. He was asked to compare training camp in his early career to now and he was also asked how he would know when to hang it up. He had some interesting answers to both questions. He said that there is such a huge age difference when he looks over the locker room now (he'll be 38 in October) and that the shorts were tighter in his early days...typical Favre humor. He answered the "hang it up" question with a question...when does anybody know when it's time?

He went on to say that as long as he can make plays that he'll continue to come back. He said that he obviously doesn't move as quickly as he used to, but he believes that he can still make plays. I know it's not shocking to most of you that I still believe that too. He also said that breaking records really doesn't mean that much to him and he's never considered himself a better QB than Dan Marino.

Now, Favre has taken a lot of criticism in recent years (some deservedly so), but I believe that he's mostly a realist with a lot of perspective. I don't think that you can be a parent, go into your 17th year in the NFL, struggle with substance abuse, deal with cancer, death and tragedy in your family and be almost 38 without a lot of perspective. If he believes that it's not his time yet, then why can't we trust him with that decision?

Now, to bring this back around to the first day of school (you thought I had gotten distracted and forgot, didn't you?). My husband and I have worked really hard over the past 5 years to try and raise our boys to respect authority, have manners, know how to have fun and not take life too seriously and (as I remind them every morning) make good choices and be a light for Jesus every day. I certainly hope that I'm a realist with more perspective than I had 10 or 15 years ago. I realized as I saw what you see in the picture above that it was my time to "hang it up" in a sense. We raise our children to let them go at some point and live their own lives. There are other instances of letting go little by little before you let them permanently go on their own. This morning was one of them - it was my turn to "hang it up" and realize that he's a big boy that can handle walking into school by himself - he didn't even want me to walk him in...at first I was upset by that, but now I'm proud. I'm proud that we've done a good enough job with him that he's independent and outgoing...and I'm proud that I knew not to push the issue because it was Jackson's time now...not mine.

I don't think that I'm wrong by trusting that Favre has enough perspective as a realist to know when it's someone else's time - and his time to hang it up. Now...can everyone just leave him alone until then and let him tell you when it's time, PLEASE????!!!