One Less

When my dad left my mother in 1973 there was a popular song called One Less Bell to Answer. The song tried to extol the advantages of a man leaving a woman, but the results were melancholy, as seen in the first verse:
One less bell to answer
One less egg to fry
One less man to pick up after
I should be happy
But all I do is cry.

I can still remember the emotions surrounding that song for my abandoned mother. Thankfully, I still have a man to pick up after, and actually Roger picks up more after me that I do him. But by the end of the month, our household will be at half mast.

Having four children, six people at home, and reducing that to just one child and a total of three people, means:
Half the laundry
Half the dirty dishes
Half the stuff left around...or even less
Only one child so we know who left the (fill in the blank) where it doesn't belong (this is where you feel sorry for Wesley)

And as the old song said, I should be happy, but well, I'm working hard to do more than cry, but for sure as I contemplate our diminished household, I can't help but count other things:
Half the hugs and smiles
No other females for girl movies
No one left who enjoys cooking sometimes
No one left who enjoys art museums or shopping
No siblings left for Wesley to divert the focus of parents solely on him
Way less than half the synergy and laughter that spontaneously erupts between our four children

My favorite role is life is mother, and losing your favorite job is heartbreaking. Yet I know God has new horizons, so stay tuned for those developments. Blogging is a start! Certainly writing is an outlet for me, and I even have a writer's retreat planned for September.

More to come!