The poem at the bottom of this post magically appeared in my in-box the night I returned home from moving my son into his dorm at UW-Madison to embark upon his freshman year of college. Move-in day was a day I had both dreaded and looked forward to for years. I returned home that night with my butt completely kicked from the emotional hemorrhage that went down. My heart was both heavy with grief, and bursting with pride. It was a difficult year, leading up to his leaving. The saving grace was knowing that my son was at his dream school, thriving and happier than he's ever been.

Like so many other life circumstance, I thought we were "ready" last August. I now know that I was prepared, but I was not ready. I didn't fully...

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I moved Johnny into his dorm at the University of Wisconin-Madison 242 days ago. Some days it feels like he's been gone many more days than this, but most days it feels like so much less. He remains everywhere in my house and my head. I still catch myself peeking into his bedroom, or calling out his name.

When he came home for Thanksgiving break, it felt like he'd been away on an extended vacation but was now finally home again! And when he came home for the long Winter break, it felt like he'd never left ... until he did. Both times, his leaving hurled me into a several day funk. Saying good-bye all over again both times was as hard as it had been the day I left him in Madison.  

He came home for Spring break, and...

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I'm Day 18 "Empty Nest" and here to report that although I am better, I am not great.

First, let me tell you that my son has adjusted to college life even better than I had ever imagined, I've never seen him happier. And I am so very grateful. I raised him to be an independent thinker, not afraid to take risks, kind, brave, optimistic, and with an understanding that the whole wide world is his for the taking if he is willing to do the work. But shit, it's hard to watch that play out now.

Yes, I am proud of him, happy he is only an hour away, glad that he got into a good school, and blah, blah, blah. But I like him a lot and I miss him a lot. It's really that simple.

There have been so many things these past two-plus weeks that I've...

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For all the Mama's who dropped their baby off at a college campus this month, this poem by Gretchen Schmelzer is for you. May it comfort you.

The Universe deposited this message in my in-box yesterday, the same day that I delivered my son to his college dorm to live with a roommate he's never met.

When I finally sat down last night after a very long and difficult day to catch up on email, in the deafening quiet of my house without Johnny, there it was, this poem, a lifeline.

Leaving my baby boy in Madison yesterday was the hardest thing I have ever done as a parent. I had been preparing us for this day for months, years really, but I now know that nothing was ever going to prepare me for that moment when I hugged and kissed him, said goodbye, and...

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