Many of us have overcome so much.  I too, have in the recent years begun to find me!  It is a journey.  It is an experience and it is also a learning experience.  So many seem to believe they are the only one experiencing this need to know themselves, learn from the past and learn to forge a future.  Many women, in my opinion, have been side-tracked by men ---- but ultimately, I believe they were side-tracked because they chose to believe in someone other than themselves.  It is a time for awakening.  Awakenings of the soul, of the the heart and of the mind.  I am one that believes, and will always believe, that one's worth is not  what they have, who they know but rather the circumstances they have overcome when there was no one there to honestly help them.  Some people have large families, some don't.  Some are simply raised to be polite, clean and responsible.  I know that as a parent you tend to get lost in the lives of your children.  But at some point, they have to stand alone and on their own. 

I recently remarried after l3 years.  I finallly let my children go, realizing their decisions and mistakes were their own.  I have finally realized I did my part, I taught, I never waivered, I never put myself on a pedestal above others, and I never abused a confidence.   Perhaps part of the learning is to in fact realize  we can't make life what we want it for our children.  But rather, to learn to be there when they fall, and truly understand.  Sometimes, people just don't take enough time to realize what others are dealling with.  I hope you find yourself, but at the same time, let go of your kids and let them make their mistakes while you make your own.  Families, are more than just blood pulsing thru a vein, but rather people that learn to accept others and their flaws and then continue to support them.  It takes a lifetime to learn that, a heartbeat in time to lose it and an eternity to find all the answers. 

Sometimes, the right answer is just in front of us.  Remember, if, is a small word with so many implications.