Metamorphosis of a Mother
I always defined myself as a mother of my children. I even have that description in my "about" page on my blog. It is so true: I used to be--many, many snows ago--the original "Earth Mother". I have a mental image of me, walking somewhere with four children: with an older child (ten, perhaps?) pushing a little one in a stroller, my holding a four-year old's hand, and an older baby in a backpack on my back. I so loved being pregnant, having children, raising them--just being a mother. That is how I defined myself, for years and years (I have five, Baruch Hashem). And then, without warning, everything changed. It's funny how I was not even aware of it; my eldest had moved out of the house long before (there is a 17 year difference between her and my youngest). Then, in 2003, my sons moved out together--to live overseas. And in 2004, my baby, then only fifteen, moved to that same country to attend three years of high school and then, ...