By Deb Haggerty, @DebHaggerty

I looked down today as I was typing and saw my mother’s hands—wrinkled, age-spotted, slightly shaky. I looked into my mirror today and saw my mother’s face—wrinkled, pale blue eyes, white hair. But she’s not here! my inner child cried. How can I be seeing her? Then I realized I was seeing my hands—I’ve grown old. I am not as sprightly as once I was. Aches and pains are a normal part of my life. I’ve slowed down, but time has sped up.

How can that be? Only yesterday, I was riding my bike with my friends and stealing apples off the sheriff’s tree. Only yesterday, I was eating shrimp pizza at the Spoon across the street from Macalester. Only yesterday, I smiled at Roy with tears in my eyes as I became his wife. Only yesterday, I cruised the world with Mom on Silversea. Only yesterday, we moved to Orlando in the sun and fun. Only yesterday, Boot Pond became our home. How can sixty-nine years have passed when I still feel twelve at times? How can we have been married over thirty-four years? How can that little girl in the fuzzy bear coat be mom to our seven-year-old grandson?

Time is curious. Time passes so slowly when we’re anticipating something like the next book deal, the next publishing contract, the next best sellers list, and then races by when we’re not looking. And I’ve become my mom. A needlepoint picture she lovingly crafted for me sums up what I’m saying.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall—I’m my Mother after all!”

Deb Haggerty is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Elk Lake Publishing Inc., a traditional, royalty-paying, Christian publisher that “Publishes the Positive.” As an author, blogger, and professional speaker, she’s been published in over twenty books with fifty-plus articles. Deb, her husband, Roy, and Coki the Dog live in Plymouth, MA.