All of us have had moments in our lives that had great meaning for us, haven’t we? We may have forgotten a good number of them, but at the time, they were important. They were milestones in our lives.

Think back to when you lost your first tooth. Some of your friends had already lost teeth and you wiggled yours with no result. Then one day a tooth wiggled and you worked at it until days later it finally came out. A milestone in your life.

How about learning to ride a bike? That was a milestone. Once you could manage on your own, you were free! You could go to your friend’s house or to the store or the library. You could go all over town or your neighborhood on your own.

As we grew older the kinds of and the importance of the milestones changed. We graduated from eighth grade and went on to high school. Some of us got part-time jobs and a real paycheck. It wasn’t much, but gave us money for both necessities and fun. Some of us were lucky enough to get our first car. Now that was a big event!

When we graduated from high school bigger milestones were coming our way. Some of us got jobs while others worked on the family farm. Some went off to college or into the military. All of these steps moved us into the world of adults.

For many of us marriage was the next big milestone. Deciding to build a life with someone else was a big undertaking, but we were young and started off together. Somehow having next to nothing did not really matter.

Along came more milestones. Things like a promotion at work or a better job with more pay. Ordinary things were big events, too. I remember when my mother got an electric mixer and we gathered around to watch her use it. My father lifted the beaters up without turning off the motor, spraying all of us and the kitchen with chocolate cake batter.

Starting a family certainly qualified as a milestone. It changed our lives forever. Now it seemed the milestones revolved around the children’s lives – learning to walk, losing the first tooth, learning to ride a bike, getting a first car, graduation and starting new lives.

Once again the milestones changed. Now we were finishing careers and saving for retirement. We were deciding whether to live where we were, downsize or snowbird in Arizona, all of which had their own pluses and minuses.

Bigger milestones were on the way; ones we were aware of, but unprepared for – the loss of a parent or sibling. As we aged that possibility came closer. Now we were becoming the older generation.

Lightening the load, for many of us, were grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Again, as with our own children, we watched the milestones in their lives.

Over and over again the cycle repeats itself as we move through our lives, the big and small milestones making us who we are and our lives what they are.

Take time this week, seniors, to think about some milestones in your lives.