At some point in life children grow up, leave the nest and make their own lives.
Their mothers, whose lives were devoted to their children's care are suddenly cast adrift, no longer actively needed by their children and left with a huge void in their lives.
Being a mother was a dream come true for my wife Anne who went through this when the youngest of our children left for college. The years that followed were a very tough time in her life.
This morning I asked her what other mothers could do avoid this huge sense off loss, this emptiness in their lives.
Her reply: "Anticipate it. Talk to others who have been through it. Start outside (new) activities before they leave."
If for many years your children have been the center of your life, well before they leave, you need to have a sense of who YOU are and what it is that could fulfill you.
Before Anne and her older brother Ed left the nest, their mother Mary went back to college, earned her degree and for the next nearly 25 years was a school teacher. Her transition was a successful one.
Life is a series of cycles and being a mother for many women brings great meaning. But as one cycle ends a new one will begin. Make that new cycle one that will lift your heart and once again give you a true sense of purpose.
Dick
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