I’d already raised my only child.
But that afternoon, I became a mother again.
The first years were exhausting.
I cleaned houses, took odd jobs, and accepted extra shifts whenever possible.
My knees hurt, and sometimes I fell asleep sitting upright because Hazel had kept me awake.
But she was worth every difficult day.
I learned which songs helped her sleep.
I held her through fevers.
I taught her to tie her shoes.
When she started school, I stood outside her classroom until she stopped crying.
Continue on the next page:
