Today is Madison's 12th birthday. Gulp. Being that she is my youngest, this is extremely bittersweet for me. Time is only gaining speed, and I look at her and shudder at the thought of how fast the next 6 years will fly.

Last week during a Walmart run, I cried when I passed the school supply aisle. I know ... that's just weird. But, you see, since about 1992 I've been doing the crayola crayons, character lunchboxes, and elmer's glue thing. And, I guess you could say I grew attached to it .... probably because those things just represent childhood.

Now, mine have all moved into the more sophisticated school list of composition books and fancy calculators. But, I've decided that it won't hurt for me to buy some glue and crayons now and then ... just for old time's sake.

I took today off of work. Maddie and I are going roller skating. Time can just put a cork in it and stand still for a few minutes. I've got to memorize the sights, smells, and sounds of this ... my youngest child ... and these precious, fleeting last days of her childhood. Pass the kleenex.

One of my dearest friends, Denise, helped me plant some flower beds this last spring. I never thought it possible ... but most of the flowers have survived, and some have even thrived! (will miracles never cease?) Denise is quite the green thumb and she did an incredible job of creating beds that are almost worthy of Southern Living magazine. And I have been surprised how much comfort I have found in looking out at them each morning over my cup of coffee.

I watched in such anticipation throughout the spring and early summer, as each new thing began to bloom in some breathtaking new color and shape.

Long about July, I noticed a vine that was ... well, kind of moving in and around everything else. I called Denise over to take a look and she said "Oh, those are Morning Glories". And she began pulling and tugging quite forcefully, untangling them from the other plants. Then, she commented that if I didn't keep these in check, they will take over ...

Soon after her visit, it was time for us to go on a road trip for a summer getaway. I pondered what Denise had said ... I hadn't taken the time to clear those vines out from where they weren't supposed to be. But, I decided that it could wait. I had other pressing things to do.

When I came back from a week of vacation, to my horror, those beautiful morning glories had spread to the point that they were practically choking everything else to death. How could something so beautiful be so potentially deadly to my garden?

While I grabbed my pruning scissors and began to snip away at those horribly tangled vines, I realized how much this resembled my life. More often than I like to admit, I allow seemingly good and harmless things to move in too close to the things and people I love.

Lesson learned: even good things can be deadly if they are allowed to go unchecked. I am not a helpless victim of my busy schedule ... I have the power and the choice of what to cut out and where the boundaries are.

My morning glories are still blooming beautifully in a perrywinkle blue every morning. However, they are now staying in the area designated for them. Because I am monitoring - with scissors in hand - the places they go.