Hey! Our Nest Is Not Empty

Our “baby” daughter, Janette, got married on August 14th. I sewed her dress, and she was beautiful . . . a princess . . . her prince . . . the wedding . . . the honeymoon . . . a new life for them . . . and for us.

On August 16th, my husband and I woke up and had the whole house to ourselves, including the refrigerator and all its contents. Well, then . . . I suppose we never paid attention to all that talk about the “empty nest” phase. Who has the energy to think about stuff like that while sorting socks, toys, toddlers, report cards, and teenagers?

Let’s see. It looks like nothing about this parenting deal is going to come easy around here. Maybe mother loosening her grip on it will be the hardest thing of all. I suppose it’s hard because I can’t think of anything as meaningful as raising children, and I like being involved in meaningful. Then again, I don’t want to rewind the tape for any repeats. Thank you very much, but “my cup runneth over” with memories of the tooth fairy, chicken pox and driver's ed.

But here’s the point. The phrase “empty nest” is not going to work for me. Not even close. Matter of fact, I consider it a personal insult. How can they say our nest is empty when we’re still in it? Nothing about spending the past thirty-seven years as a mother makes me feel empty. Quite the opposite. Anyway, I’m not exactly through being a mom because parents don’t retire. They just graduate to the next level.

Still, it is quiet in this house while we’re getting used to the idea that clocks, dryers and computers make sounds we never heard before. I can even hear myself think once in awhile, and these are a few of the comforting thoughts I hear:

My dad died in his sleep at age 93 in June. My mom, age 90, continues to love and nurture her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with countless little thoughts, prayers, words and deeds from her three-room apartment in an assisted-living facility. Most of my parents’ belongings are in the house they shared for forty years, but their house with all its belongings isn’t their nest. My parents take their nest with them wherever they go. It’s where they do what they do best. Their nest will never be empty, and neither will mine.