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I seem to be at a crossroads in my life. My oldest child turned 29, and my youngest is going off to college. And in a few months I will be 58, which means I have been a mother for HALF my life. Since my mother died at 72 and my father at 79, I am not sure if I will live another 29 years. But even so, what will happen in the remaining time after 2 X 29 years?
Empty nest. Final paper for the Shalem Program of Spiritual Guidance to write, which I am working on now. Three final scholarly papers for my master's degree in theology at Oblate School of Theology, as next spring is my deadline. Closets to clean. Books to either find shelves for or get rid of. (AND 40th high school reunion in August!)
There is lots to do. Average or memorable? Love makes life memorable, so I hope I remember to live with love and gratitude as I learn to live more fully in the next phase of my life.
7 comments:
I'm pretty close to that half of life as mother point myself, about a year and a half away, and it feels overwhelming to contemplate. I was 24! When my son is that age, I hope he is not a parent yet!
I have much further to go...I was 31 when my daughter was born and am now 51...so, a ways....
BUT...while you may wonder about your ability to "remember to live with love and gratitude as I learn to live more fully in the next phase of my life."...I have no doubt about your ability to do this....you exude love and gratitude...even when you may not feel it yourself...
With an attitude like "Love makes life memorable," I think you should seque into the next phase just fine.
And ditto to what Mompriest said.
You are brave to look the crossroads in the face.
You're doing it all the right way. I council myself to pay heed.
you're path is a 'road less traveled' jan. always a memorable path.
Grateful to be along for the ride as you take this journey.
I decided I had to sit down and calculate when I'd be a mother for half my life. (you can tell I have way too much time on my hands this summer!) I decided to be clever and do it algebraically. (I mean if every kid in California has to know algebra by the end of 8th grade, it should be easy for me!) Well, I came up with the answer that I'd be 19 years old.
So then I made a chart and discovered that when Laura is 37 years old, I'll have been a mother half my life. That will be in 16 years, when I'm 74. I hope I'm a grandmother by then! (But not much before then....)
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