The biggest way my life has changed since I moved to Hickory with Kevin is I am a mother now. Huge difference when you move across country and you leave your (adult) child behind!
When Kevin and I moved to Hickory, we weren’t married yet. We had only known each other a little over year and it was a blind leap of faith to move away together. We have been very blessed to have been together for over thirty years and a wonderful life together. Of course, we have had our ups and downs, but we have survived life together! The biggest accomplishment of our lives is our daughter, Molly.
Molly didn’t come to us easily. When we first got married, neither one of us wanted children. It wasn’t until I got closer to thirty than my “mother gene” kicked in. Kevin agreed to ONE child, and I got pregnant very easily. Staying pregnant was another situation. I had preterm labor and ended up on bed rest for three months. Kevin had to work fulltime and do all the housework too. Finally, our beautiful baby girl arrived and we thought all our troubles were behind us. That is when postpartum depression hit. It hit me hard. I don’t remember much of the first five months of Molly’s life and I am so grateful we took lots of pictures! Molly was born in January and my true memories start in June. What I remember most when the cloud of depression lifted is how much my heart had grown. I loved this little being more that I thought it was possible to love another human!
Fast -forward twenty-five years. Kevin and I are living in Oceanside and our daughter is living in Louisville. It hasn’t been that hard with cell phones, Facebook, and Snapchat. But something happened with Molly’s job last week and she needed me. She REALLY needed me. We always told her that just because we were living 2000 miles away, didn’t mean we wouldn’t be there for her when she needed us. So, I bought a plane ticket and headed to Louisville. The mother gene kicked in high alert and I wouldn’t have been anywhere else. Yes, she is twenty-five and she could have handled things on her own, but isn’t that what mothers are for?? Honestly, I am so very happy that I am the ONE she wanted to help her. There is nothing more satisfying for a mother than to be an important part of your adult child’s life. Even though Molly is an adult, that enormous love for her is still a part of my DNA and always will be!!
So, I am back in Oceanside and Molly is enjoying a weekend away with friends. We have decided that it will become a yearly trek for me to Louisville when school starts for Molly and I am excited to be a part of her career, if only for a short while each year. Parenthood may be the hardest job you will ever love, but LOVE is what it is all about!
Safe travels,
Lori
No Map Necessary 
Dear Lori, I just now caught up with your last three posts!!! I totally love your blog and really look forward to each post and all of your thoughts. This latest one, Once a Mom, really hit home. Once a mom, always a mom, will always be true. You were such a lifesaver for Molly this past week, and I love how you said NOW you’ll fly back to Louisville every year before school starts. How COOL is that?!?!? 🤗 Today I had lunch with my mom, sister Libby, who lives in Bloomington, and my niece, whose mom was my sister, Deb. It was great for the 4 of us to be together. It’s going to take a long time for Lauren to get through the heartache of Deb passing away. Her diagnosis and passing away were so fast and grieving is going to be a long process. She and Deb were incredibly close and as she said, “everyone is so sweet and thoughtful, but none of my friends has lost their mom at age 27!” ☹ Her writing on her blog is cathartic for her, like it is for you. Keep it up, my friend, your writing is awesome! Steve and I and our kids are staying in a house in Huntington Beach for a week starting next Sat. We are really looking forward to a week of family time, as it just only happens 1-2 times a year that we can all be together. And…his 50th HS reunion in Long Beach is at the end of our week there. Yikes!!! 50th!!! We really ARE old!! 😂🤣 Can’t wait to hear all about your job! Those kids will LOVE you!! 😘😘😘 ❤ Nancy
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Nancy, you are so sweet! My heart breaks every time I read Lauren’s blog because I naturally think of Molly. So glad you get to have your “Cali” time. We love being right on the border with Orange County- get to enjoy SD and the OC!
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