Rediscovering...

While logging onto my computer today, I noticed my user-account picture and name. I love the picture, it conveys tranquility and beauty. I love the name too--it addresses the best part of who I am, but it's not the whole of who I am. It just says... "Mom."

To the most important people in my life, that's all and everything that I am, but today, part of me wonders, when did I become just "Mom"? Actually, I know when it started...the day I realized I was pregnant with my first child, and I embraced it fervently. I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world, and I focused on the tiny life growing inside me with all of my being. When my third child was born eight years later, I was just as focused and joyful.

I've loved all the stages of my children's lives, no matter how challenging--every stage brings its own richness and joy. However, my children's needs are different now...they're becoming more independent. As I give them space to grow away from me, I also discover parts of me that have been dormant. I will always treasure being "Mom," but I think it's time to rediscover "Me"....