Love you forever

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Some days I see my older eyes staring back at me in the mirror, imploring me to stay calm and trust in the universe.

My mantra is to cherish to every beautiful moment before they slip away and to know that troubled thoughts will fade in time.

I acknowledge but find it incredibly challenging to accept that nothing is permanent and  genuine happiness can only be achieved by accepting life as it evolves.

Love Your Forever CollageMotherhood brings me joy, contentment and peace. It is the one perfect part of my life that I have never doubted nor wanted to be any different.

Each of my children is precious and unique, my love for them is unconditional and eternal. They are all adults now following their own pathway in life.

This stage of motherhood is so hard, harder than I ever imagined.

It’s not easy letting their hands slip from mine.

30 thoughts on “Love you forever”

  1. Jenna, I’ve been reading and rereading a wonderful book that you might like called Magical Journey, by Katrina Kenison. (I referred to that book in a post I made today ) She offers such wonderful insights and ideas for those of us who are adapting to “empty nests” and making varied transitions in life. It felt so good to read a book and to find out that so many other women are learning along with me. Warmly, Kathy

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  2. Jenna, when my eldest son moved out at 18 it was to join the Army just as the government was talking abut going into Iraq. I was so stressed out about him being sent into combat. When my youngest (I only have 2 children) moved out at 18 it was to live 2500 miles from me. I knew he had friends and people that would look out for him, but it felt so weird to be that far away. Having spent 3 years with just him and I, it was really hard to let him be that far away. But besides being worried about them there was this feeling of it being my time now to find what I wanted the next phase of my life to be, it was almost exciting.

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    1. Yes you are right, while it is sad to realise we are not as important to our children as they find their own way in life it is also exciting to think of the possibilities the next stage of our lives may bring. Love Jenna

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  3. My youngest is off to start his life, I can relate to this post…it is not the easy. You are so correct “harder than I ever imagined.” I feel the same…robbie 🙂

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    1. Hi Robbie, It comforts me to know there are other mothers at the same stage of their life as I am who are wondering how the years since their children were born have flown by so quickly. Love Jenna

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      1. Tonight I had my second grandson( from my middle daughter) for the evening. He is 2 months, and it was such fun! My other grandchild is in England, and I have not seen him due to distance and expense. He is 16 months this month. I use to make fun of people that made such a big deal of their grandchildren…well, I now understand! My empty nest is being filled with grandchildren…:-)

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  4. My “children” are now 19 and about to be 21 and sometimes it actually feels like my heart is breaking. I’m so glad to see I am not the only one. I write about this a lot on my blog too. When they are in college its actually easier because I know they are HAPPY and I don’t worry about them (as much.) I raised them to be happy, INDEPENDENT,people and they are. But, oh, how I miss those hugs and kisses and the feeling that I was their world. If I could have it back for just 5 minutes,,,,,Thank you for your wonderful post. Best, Laurie from hibernationnow.wordpress.com

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    1. Hi Laurie, Your comments remind me why I love blogging so much, because it reassures me that there are many other people who are facing the same life issues as I am. I now know that I am not as alone or unusual as I thought I was. It comforts me to know there are other mothers at the same stage of their life as I am who are wondering how the years have flown by so quickly. Love Jenna

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  5. It must be so hard to walk in to an empty room after your child has gone for her or his way as a grown up. Reading your blog brings me back to my memory of the time when I left my parents. It was financially very difficult period for them when I was a teen. They had five kids. I was the fourth. To ease their burden, I moved away to take care of myself. When my dad departed suddenly 15 years ago, I felt like the sky fell. That’ when my brother lost his 11 year old son to an unknown disease. The life of our family turned upside down. Losing someone we love leaves us in pain, solitude, and reflection. I wish I could have been nicer to my dad when I was going through those rebellious and ambitious teen days. I wish I had sent a Christmas present a few days earlier to my nephew… But I guess we are never late for loving them on more. In my sadness and solitude, I manage to find that our circumstances separate loved ones but our hearts are forever together. So my thinking is that you could write an old style hand written letter to your children, not an email. You must have something you would like to say to them but couldn’t say face to face…or anything…I got a few letters from my dad, and his letters always remind me who I am and from whom I am. In his letters I feel what he did feel writing each word. I sense his care and love even more than we were together.

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  6. “accepting life as it evolves” ..beautiful.
    My little daughter is just starting kindergarten. Allowing her to slip out just a little. It is good to watch her being so confident. One day we will be where you are.
    Much love –
    Laurie

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  7. Hi Jenna, I’m not a mother…but I get what you mean about it being hard to let go. Have faith that like all things in life, you will get through it 🙂 At least you get them to visit you! 😀

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  8. This is one of my favorite books. When I’d read it to my kids when they were little I always cried.
    Letting them ‘go’ was one of the hardest things ever. Why is our whole job to put ourselves out of a job? Sometimes I still miss those buggers 😉
    (they are 26 and 24 now!)

    You just let yourself be right where you are, that’s a mom’s right!

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    1. You always know exactly what to say to me Denise, you are amazing. My kids are 22, 24 and 28 now and “Love your Forever” was one of our favourite books to read when they were younger too. Love Jenna 🙂

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  9. Lovely and heartfelt, Jenna Dee. My son (only child) is 27, and I’ve always felt like, as mothers, we were only “guardians” of a sort of our children. To love them, teach them, and – most difficult for me – to sometimes have to stand by and watch as they fall, knowing they will fall, but also knowing they need to learn to pick themselves up – what a challenge. Plus – to raise a person to be a productive member of society…such responsibility, but peace in knowing you’ve done it. Blessings…

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    1. Thank you Theresa. I suppose I am mourning the passing of another inevitable stage of life, letting our children fly away. I am glad that I could share this feeling with other bloggers who have experienced the same feelings. Love Jenna 🙂

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  10. Hi Jenna, I guess the hardest part of being a mum is letting go. ‘Each of my children is precious and unique, my love for them is unconditional.” – I’m sure your children know you love them and how much you have invested in their lives. They’re truly blessed to have a mum like you 🙂 Much love, Pat

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  11. No, it is never easy letting go. But I am enjoying seeing that my sons are raising beautiful children. They seem to be settled and have chosen wonderful women for their life partners. My grandchildren live so far away and are growing up not knowing me the way I knew my grandparents and that is the hardest of all.

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    1. Hi Ruth, It must be very comforting to know your children have found lovely life partners and now have children of their own. I feel sad that you are not playing a close role in the lives of your grandchildren. I hope circumstances may change and you will one day live closer together. I send you my love. Jenna 🙂

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  12. Jenna–one of the hardest things I have found in life is having been the mother to my son—now almost grown, I so wish I could go back and change things–things I said, the way I responded to something that I now know was not correct…I get very sad sometimes thinking how I could have handled things differently–wiser, sounder judgements, not so reactionary—but, at the time, I did the best I could—this older wiser me knows differently but that’s the kicker—at the time, it was the best I could do—it’s all in this hindsight I now have as an older woman—he knows I love him and yes, mother could have reacted differently than she did—but I also think he is realizing as he matures and grows that it was the best at the time—if only the wiser older self could have been present :)………we love them and they will know that —always……

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  13. It’s interesting that their hands were slipping away all along, a little at a time as they grew up, but we notice it more profoundly when their everyday presence in our lives is missing. I share in your mantra.

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  14. So much truth here. Letting go is the hardest task I’ve found so far. That and maintaining the special closeness a mother and child have. Thankfully we have hearts that remember all the special memories. Thank you. Susan

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      1. My pleasure Jenna. My mother told me it was the hardest part of being a mother and I thought she was exaggerating at the time (I was 19).
        Many years later as my son left home the first time I understood what she had said, and my daughter brought it back once more.
        Now that he may have to leave the State it is even more painful. It appears motherhood is a bittersweet gift ❤. Susan

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