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The Gift in the Glow
It was late as I lay awake unable to sleep. The incandescent softness floated down the hallway, reminding me that someone was still awake. It was the lamp from my daughter’s room. She was beginning middle school and nervous about the first day of school. I can recount many memories from the childhood days of my children. Of the 4 of them, 3 are grown and almost entirely out of the house. Two are in college, one in grad school, and one, an undergrad senior. I’m still their landing pad as they’ll bounce in and out on their way to complete independence. One is in the military, and the youngest is now in middle school. Being divorced means there are times when the silence in the house is deafening since my children actually have 3 homes: Mom’s, Dad’s, and their own living situation during the school year.
For a long time, I listened to others determine what my life should look like since uncoupling. Everyone’s notion seems to be taken from movies and television. My former husband and I are friends and get along quite well, not being a couple. There is no animosity between us, and we still support and care about each other in our new life situation. I don’t consider my family to be broken, just expanded, and it works for us.
In my “once upon a time” of memories, I remember as a wife when my then-husband worked late or traveled home, I would always leave a soft light on, whether it was a…
