is it hot in here, or is it just me?

Kazzy

is it hot in here, or is it just me?

I am enjoying a free month here. By "free" I mean, no classes, and no time at the new job yet. It has been a chance to be an at-home mom, and I am reminded of how much I like being home. I clean, I cook for the gang, I have lunch with friends, I go on afternoon walks. It is good and it is me, for the moment.

And in six weeks number 2 will be moving out to go to school and it will go down to four people around here. How did everything change so quickly? How did we shave one-third of our population down here in the house?

The den needs a good organizing and going through, but I run across scrapbooks in the big closet and can't see what I am doing through the waterworks. I turn into a sniffling ball of mom and I can't see unless I empty my hands to wipe my eyes dry.

I am excited about school and new challenges for me, but it seems like these opportunities are screaming: Hey! You are old now! Your kids need you a bit less! And you are old!

Yes, a few times this Summer I have complained about the heat in a nicely air-conditioned building. Everyone seems to stare at me as I fan myself with whatever paper I can find in my purse. And I have woken up some mornings sticky on the back of my neck with sweat. flashes? Yes, I am older now. My kids need me less, but I am learning that they only need me a little less for temporal things. They still need me (maybe even more than in the recent past) for other things. Advice, reassurance, guidance through the tough teenage years, or the re-entry after a mission. It is a good time to remember my blessings of more independence and freedom, and kids who are growing up well.

Now, where is that ice pack?