Writing has always helped me thru the hard times.  At the age of 12, I remember rewriting the lyrics to “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” by Waylon Jennings.  My version was titled “Bitches Don’t Let Your Puppies Grow Up to Be Guard Dogs”, and it was writing exercises like this that helped me keep my chin up thru some serious neglect when I was a young girl.

Later on, in my thirties, I wrote about a dozen songs with my banjo while surviving several break-ups.  Pain is amazing fuel for the creative process!

Now, I have the lovely fortune of experiencing “the change” and empty nest syndrome at the same time. Yes folks, that is sarcasm. What a weird and challenging blend of emotions that this combo creates. Feelings of finding new personal power that come along with menopause combined with extreme fear and sadness that come with the grief of letting a child go.

My only child will be moving out this coming year.  Even though being a single mother has been very difficult at times, I wouldn’t have done it any other way.  I really can’t imagine my daily life without him. So to cope with this scary time that is about to come, I decided to write about it!  That is why I started this blog. I want to reflect back on my years as a single mom, and recap the journey. Even though, I have some fear going into this new phase of my life, I also feel very powerful because of the lessons I’ve learned.  I want to remind myself and others that being a single mom can be a beautiful and empowering place to be!

Again life has given me an amazing gift disguised as struggle.  I am so grateful for all of these tricky emotions because they fuel my creations.  It makes me think of an Eddie Vedder song.

“Rise”

Brigitte Lyn McBride