Every day is a march, an unrelenting march towards the future.

Every birthday marks a milestone on that march, an indelible notch marked along the side of the path on which we tread.

The Whitford Middle School marching band. Marching into the future.

Today, my son Zachary marched both literally and figuratively into the future. He celebrated his 14th birthday with 129 of his band friends in Florence, Oregon marching in the Rhododendron Festival. It was a three mile parade under cloudy skies, but for the 8th graders in the group, it was a march off the middle school stage. It was their last marching band competition with Whitford Middle School.

Zachary, demonstrating the incorrect method to play the piccolo.

For Zachary, it also marked the 14th annual notch on his march through life. As always, our son with the calm exterior, the extra dosage of brains and the quirky sense of humor, took the day in stride – whether it was standing out in the cold waiting for the parade or running down the Oregon Dunes after the festival. He just keeps marching right along. Another year older, another year better.

For all of us, time marches on. Never ceasing, never relenting. We march on, but our march doesn’t have to be alone. We can choose to become part of a community and march together, celebrating every milestone along the way with those that we help and those that help us.

Happy Birthday, Zachary! You’re marching into a glorious future.

Today’s gift of time … Gave a very long, but satisfying day working with a fabulous band director and many other wonderful parent volunteers at the Whitford Middle School marching band competition in the Florence, Oregon Rhododendron Festival.