I truly believe that one of life’s greatest pleasures is to watch children (and people) grow and mature. This is why I’m a teacher… I love the payoff of watching students learn and better themselves over the years. There’s nothing like witnessing and maybe contributing to human progress before your very eyes.

I have a Taiwanese friend named Trista who is 5 years my junior. I met her when I was 18 (or was it 17? Old age has affected my memory). She was just a young tween then! Today is her birthday and she’s grown up to be one of my peers, so full of wisdom and maturity! As I reflected on how fast she’d grown (or maybe how slow I’ve grown?), I couldn’t help but be inspired to draw this cartoon. That cliche is so true… kids grow up so fast, especially when we least want them to.

Happy Birthday my friend! ????

Laura