'That's the Story of Love'

When Bon Jovi was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, I silently echoed the thoughts of thousands of fans around the world – It’s about time!

As charismatic frontman Jon Bon Jovi explained in his long-overdue acceptance speech (35 years in the making), the band rose in the rock legend ranks in the mid-to-late 80s – with a pivotal moment coinciding with the breakthrough success of their Billboard 200 chart-topping album Slippery When Wet in 1986.

In a career spanning over four decades, Bon Jovi has sold 130 million albums worldwide. Let that number sink in for a second – 130 million albums. This astounding achievement makes them one of the best-selling bands in the world.

Toward the end of JBJ’s lengthy speech he said, “I know, it’s about time. And that has been the theme of our weekend. So, it all really just depends on how you read into those words. It’s about time. Because time is the most precious commodity we have.”

Time is the most precious commodity we have. Isn’t that the truth?

Time Flies So Fast as Family Love Flows

The New Jersey native Grammy winner with the captivating blue eyes wraps that urgent message up so beautifully in a tear-inducing, lyrically rich, melodically soothing package with his ruminating self-penned track “Story of Love” from the band’s most recent album 2020.

The opening chorus stole my heart and took my breath:

“Fathers love daughters like mothers love sons

They’ve been writing our story before there was one

From the day you arrive, till you walk, till you run

There is nothing but pride, there is nothing but love.”

Millions of families across the country have recently sent or are soon sending their kids back to school. Proud parents everywhere are posting photos to mark the occasion with captions like “Zachary’s first day of Kindergarten” or “Emily’s first day of Junior High.”

My son, Isaac, started his “last first day of school,” and the “first day of senior year” this year.

Honestly, I’m a mess. I can’t wrap my mind around how my 3 lb. 2 oz. miracle baby is suddenly reaching the end of his K-12 journey.

I swear I was just dropping my little towhead off at 3-year-old preschool with his Buzz Lightyear backpack and that open, innocent smile.

He couldn’t wait to explore the classroom and play with new friends. I, on the other hand, turned around and bawled like a baby all the way to the car.

In the song’s second verse, JBJ sings:

“A snap of the finger, and you’re not a child

But you're still holding on as you walk down the aisle

When they give you away, to hear someone else say

That someone will love you 'til their dying day.”

Our first parting at preschool – with his first step “out into the world” – was not nearly as emotional as these feelings that flow through my heart as I consider him really stepping out into his future at the end of this last year of school.

He has nine more months left of school. How did this happen? Where did the time go?

Rewind and Reflect

Looking back, the '80s contained some of the best and worst times of my life. From crying frantic tears spawned from teen angst and unrequited crushes to making carefree trips to an actual record store to expand my vinyl record and cassette collection - through good times and bad, my friends and I carried each other through high school– always with a soundtrack to rewind, revel in, and color the story of our lives.

My brother, my friends, and I were good kids – occasional rebels and lighthearted pranksters – but overall, good kids.

Now, I have a whole new appreciation for the tears my parents cried when I graduated high school, got married, divorced, graduated college, and moved 600 miles away for a new job - and another marriage.

As parents, we love and guide our children - we pray for the best, celebrate their achievements, and comfort them through inevitable mistakes and hard times.

I must admit, though, I didn't fully understand the scope, scale, and depth of my parents' love and concern for my brother and me until I became a mother myself.

Fast Forward to a Miracle

When the nurse placed my son in my arms for the first time, I gazed at his tiny form, watched the delicate rise and fall of his chest, and marveled at his teensy hands. When his little finger curled around mine, an indescribable swell of love pulsed through me.

My life changed forever that day.

Isaac was born a full eight weeks early and spent 5 ½ weeks in the hospital before he came home, weighing just shy of 5 lbs. We were so blessed that he was healthy. He just needed to gain weight before they could discharge him.

As the nurse whisked him away to the NICU, I made a fierce, silent pledge to love, protect, and cherish him all the days of our lives.

At his first birthday party, multiple family members and friends told me, “Treasure this time- because it’s going to go by so fast.”

I smiled and nodded in understanding. But I didn’t really take their words to heart. I looked at my precious, frosting-faced baby in his highchair and thought, that’s a long way off, isn’t it?

Given how fast my own childhood flew by, I should have realized just how quickly my son would grow up.

"Time is the most precious commodity we have." - Jon Bon Jovi

I wish I could have captured and bottled so many moments with Isaac - and that I wasn't so "busy" when he was little. He loved books. I'll always treasure our storytime - and playing "library" in the living room.

When he was four, his dad and I divorced. Since then, I've navigated life as a single mom.

My parents worried about me and how I would manage. Now, I understand how they felt.

No matter how old a child gets, parents still love their adult child as their "child."

I'm so grateful that Isaac and I made it to this milestone – his last year of high school. My 17-year-old high honor roll student with a heart of gold is nearly finished with one important chapter of his own life story. Before we know it, he’ll be starting the next.

A Devastating Loss and 'Confronting Covid'

My dad died in a car accident right before Covid altered life as we knew it. I never imagined he would not be here to see Isaac get his driver’s license or graduate from high school. I wish we all had more time with my dad.

Beyond trying to cope with his loss, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined my son’s sophomore and junior years marked by the havoc that Covid has heaped upon the world.

High school years often bring a mixed bag of wonderful, indelible memories and many emotional challenges.

But the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 missed final homecoming dances, pep assemblies, football games, and having a traditional commencement ceremony. My heart goes out to all graduates across the country and their families.

Unfortunately, Isaac and my mom contracted Covid almost exactly one year ago today (Labor Day weekend 2020).

Thankfully, they both recovered. However, my mom was hospitalized twice, 10 days apart because she also got Covid pneumonia. It was a horrible, frightening time. Sadly, I know we weren't alone.

Currently, Isaac is in his fourth year with his school’s student Emmy Award-winning DTV news team. Last year, under the guidance of their two selfless, amazing teachers – Randy and Amy – the DTV crew produced a riveting documentary about navigating pandemic life called “Confronting Covid-19.”

The 50-minute student-written, directed and produced special explores how Covid impacted student life and learning. It also touches on the mental health issues kids struggled with during lockdown in the wake of having their school years upended.

What was supposed to be a few weeks of school closure turned into doing the rest of their Spring 2020 classes online. It was challenging and scary, to say the least. But the kids, teachers, bus drivers, staff, and parents rose to every challenge - to put student and community health and safety first while also prioritizing learning.

My heart still aches for Isaac, his friends, their parents, and families across our city, state, and country for the illness, death, and devastation the pandemic has caused.

I can’t imagine how I would have handled a global health crisis of this magnitude when I was a child or a teen.

Moving Forward

Just as we’ve taken steps to move forward – with the hope that vaccinations bring – and experiencing joy in seeing friends and family again earlier this summer – the delta variant is ripping through the country. Hospitals and medical professionals are once again buckling under the weight of the ongoing crisis – and more families are dealing with catastrophic loss.

Over the summer, wildfires, tornados, and hurricanes have only compounded that devastation for so many people.

A New Page

I’m so proud of Isaac for all that he’s achieved and for being such a kind and caring young man. I’m also humbled by his strength and ability to adapt in this very difficult and unprecedented time.

He’s interested in filmmaking and attended a workshop at a local film school this summer. He’s also considering pursuing broadcasting and someday, moving away.

As Isaac transitions to young adulthood, all I want is more time with him. More time before he's saddled with bills and extra responsibilities that will come with carving out his own life.

My biggest prayers, as he enters his next phase are that he’s happy, healthy, and financially stable. I also pray the economy rebounds and we can eradicate the threat of Covid-19.

We all eventually break from our families to forge an independent path. Still, I feel like I'm not prepared for this time to come so soon!

I realize that all my parents ever wanted for me was health and happiness. I can never truly thank them for all their unconditional love and support. I cherish each moment I had with my dad and thank God for every new day with my mom.

In another verse, JBJ sings:

“Wherever you go or wherever you've been

It's them that is with you, and that's you that's with them

Fathers and daughters and mothers and sons

As one story ends, another's begun …

From hello to goodbye, that’s the story of love”

I love this verse and the way Jon Bon Jovi conveys the reciprocal nature of family love. Children carry the love of their parents/family with them - and parents will carry their children forever in their hearts.

Bon Jovi's "Story of Love" perfectly describes the passage of time. Its message lifts my heart as I contemplate the future for my son and me.

When I first saw the music video, I called Isaac into the room, replayed it, and told him through teary eyes (that he kind of laughed off through a tight hug) that I dedicate every word of this song to him now and forever.

Thank you, Jon Bon Jovi, for writing (and singing) such wise and wonderful words, that I can share with my child.

I hope that Isaac and I remain close. I hope our Scooby Do and Marvel Cinematic marathons continue in years to come. Depending on his path, maybe we'll even watch a film that he makes.

I hope wherever Isaac goes and whatever he does in these last few months of school and beyond, my love anchors and bolsters him - and that he knows I’m here rooting him on, wishing and praying for more happiness and success than pain or sorrow.

Most of all, I hope that time allows us to share many more milestones - and that each new page in Isaac's story is filled with health, happiness, and love.