Empty Nester

The time has come, the nest is bare. The little ones have grown and flown elsewhere. The house once filled with laughter, turmoil and noise now echoes silence, with peace heralding different joys. The rooms once cluttered with toys and books are now empty and tidy, mementos put away for good. The walls that once echoed with cries and screams now stand as silent expanses, the noises lost in dreams. The days once spent in a flurry of activity for dependents now stretch out before us, open and free, for us as co-defendants. At last we can do what we really want to do for ourselves, with memories much cherished put in their place on shelves. The future ahead may be uncertain, empty and new. But I am ready to embrace it, to start anew. To rediscover myself, to explore and grow in the pruned thinned out space To follow my heart with you, wherever it may go. For though the nest may be empty and bare my heart is full to the brim, with memories to share. And as I look back on the years gone by I smile, knowing I did my best, with love in my nest.