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I saw a dad shopping at my school's spirit store recently.  I taught his daughter the first year she attended the school, and now, six years later, she's graduating.  Her shy smile is the same today as it was the first day I welcomed her to sixth grade.

He was holding variety of things to buy, a stuffed tiger mascot, a t-shirt emblazoned with the school's logo, and a few other cute spirit items.  We met eyes, and I scooted over to say hi.

"Just doing a little shopping," he said, smiling.  I had always thought he was a very kind man.

I laughed and said, "Well, it's a good time for it."  After his daughter leaves the school, I wonder when he'll have a reason to come back.

He showed me a couple of the things he had selected.  Then he paused and said,  "It goes so fast."

Suddenly, I found myself holding back tears.

When I taught his daughter, I wasn't married (my husband and I have been together forever, but we didn't marry until 2001), I didn't have children, I hadn't attended journalism school, I had free time.  My life was completely different.

As for him, when I first met his family six years ago, his daughter was a girl, and now she's a young woman, off to college.  

I can only imagine what other personal markers have placed themselves in this man's life during the last six years.  From the look on his face as he tried to find just the right mementos in the school store, there are many.