The years tumble by. On the eve of my daughter’s fifteenth birthday, I think about where I was then and where I am now. Children are the best measure of time. They show us that the cycle of life is never-ending.

Nothing is as gratifying as watching children grow. They open their eyes to a new world. And they open ours too.

Sure, we make mistakes. We learn. We laugh. We cry. We jump. We shout. We get it all out. Such is the content of our lives.

My mom’s best friend once told me that once you have a child, you forever wear your heart on your sleeve.

Nothing is truer than that.

Children keeps us honest, even when we don’t want to be. They are miracles – every one of them.

We were once children. Now we are grown. We get to pass along the lessons of our time here. If we accomplish that, we will have served our purpose.

Even for those of us who don’t have children of our own, we still role-model for the next generation in everything we do.

They are watching us. Every moment of every day.

If we keep our heads down and eyes latched to our smartphones, we might miss a lot. Including that first step from babyhood to childhood, from childhood to adulthood.

It comes faster than you think.

So unplug today. Connect in real time. With real people right in front of you.

After all, what legacy do you want to leave behind?