My darling little brother is growing older. Barbie and I huddled in the packed school auditorium to watch him carefully escort his date at the prom, being sure to pause at the appropriate picture taking points. True to the style of our family, we couldn't let him walk off-stage without a rousing cry of "Hooray Beer!"

I had overheard the father of his date proudly saying what a "gentlemanly young man asked his little girl to the prom. He asked me first and everything!" I am, of course, inordinately proud of him. Just thinking of his graduation makes me choke up a little bit. But I feel like a parents, reluctant to let go. Scared to let him make his own choices over two thousand miles away at college. I'll only be connected to him by phone and probably briefly at that.

I'll miss him more than I ever thought. Come to think of it, ten years ago when I was pummeling him with my fists, sinking my teeth into his fleshy hardboiled egg buns and pulling out large chunks of his blonde hair, I never thought I would ever miss him.

Thank God for perspective. Just like time brings difficult choices and changes, without either of those we would never have perspective.