Mothering carries on. My oldest is 56 and I am still her mother and occasional guide. They may not be WITH you, but they will always be with you. And grown up children are great to have in your life.
I'd add - relish the space now; sleep in every bed; eat whatever you like; soon the bower will need strengthening, the nest a new wing as it fills again.
A major life transition, no doubt. I’m sure your sons feel it too. Now your relationships get to shift and grow under new circumstances. Less about survival maybe and more about the friendship that can grow from having survived.:)
The day we dropped our son at his university dorm, I wore sunglasses to hide my tears. For months I couldn’t pass his empty room without a faint stab to the heart. Motherhood had never defined me; I led a full life. The sadness took me by surprise. Your essay brought it back to me, a reminder that the end of an era , even at the right time and in the best way, will be tinged with mourning.
I have a young son and so it is touching to be reminded of the parts of the process still waiting for me. Its also humbling when i think of people who have gone all the way. Thanks for your writing. I appreciate your honesty about yourself and your life. Its something I strive for in my own writing (even though it's fiction), and your clear eyed view is an encouragemnt to keep trying to do better. I also enjoyed the last of your postcards (new subscriber) and am.astonished by how much you were able to get done in an hour(if i understand the project correctly). Thanks for writing!
Welcome, Andrew, and thank you! Yes, the postcards project was to write in no more than an hour a postcard that could be read in a minute. It turned into my memoir which was published last year. I thought that was the end of it, but thru various pressures I’ve been encouraged to put it back up on Substack for all time. So here it is, one by one again. There’ll be another slew over the weekend as the story continues. Thanks for reading. Much appreciated.
Mothering carries on. My oldest is 56 and I am still her mother and occasional guide. They may not be WITH you, but they will always be with you. And grown up children are great to have in your life.
Thank you, Ann. A much needed reminder.
Well said and true!
We’ll compare notes when I see you!
A bit. I guard the privacy of my family as much as I can, although I occasionally write about the very special moments like A Notre Dame Moment.
You have made me cry again Ella 🤗🤗🤗
Oh Monique! We did it together. Sending much much love xxx
Well done!
I'd add - relish the space now; sleep in every bed; eat whatever you like; soon the bower will need strengthening, the nest a new wing as it fills again.
Thank you
🙌
The mothership. Still you are that
🥷🛳️
Empty nests are part of the cycle. Enjoy.
Here we go indeed 💕
A major life transition, no doubt. I’m sure your sons feel it too. Now your relationships get to shift and grow under new circumstances. Less about survival maybe and more about the friendship that can grow from having survived.:)
Yes ❤️
The day we dropped our son at his university dorm, I wore sunglasses to hide my tears. For months I couldn’t pass his empty room without a faint stab to the heart. Motherhood had never defined me; I led a full life. The sadness took me by surprise. Your essay brought it back to me, a reminder that the end of an era , even at the right time and in the best way, will be tinged with mourning.
Yes this! The sadness has taken me by surprise.
That’s why I’m glad you’ve written about it.
I have a young son and so it is touching to be reminded of the parts of the process still waiting for me. Its also humbling when i think of people who have gone all the way. Thanks for your writing. I appreciate your honesty about yourself and your life. Its something I strive for in my own writing (even though it's fiction), and your clear eyed view is an encouragemnt to keep trying to do better. I also enjoyed the last of your postcards (new subscriber) and am.astonished by how much you were able to get done in an hour(if i understand the project correctly). Thanks for writing!
Welcome, Andrew, and thank you! Yes, the postcards project was to write in no more than an hour a postcard that could be read in a minute. It turned into my memoir which was published last year. I thought that was the end of it, but thru various pressures I’ve been encouraged to put it back up on Substack for all time. So here it is, one by one again. There’ll be another slew over the weekend as the story continues. Thanks for reading. Much appreciated.
Touching … poignant.
❤️
What a poignant but exciting milestone. Good luck to all of you with your new chapter.
Thanks, Wendy. 🙏🏻
bomboclaat
nailed it