Saturday morning, around 5:30 a.m., my daughter, my husband, my car, two suitcases full of 'have to' clothes, and sundry appliances that our college Senior wanted/needed for her apartment drove off into the sunrise. As the taillights winked out in the distance, I felt that tightness in my chest, the oh so familiar searing pain caused by the departure of one of my offspring, and a heaviness that persisted in spite of multiple yoga sessions, miles on the trail, and meditation by the fountain out back over the course of the weekend. But this time the searing pain didn't turn into the fetal position crying jag that it has in the past, a jag that paralyzes me for an hour or so, then subdues me for the remainder of the day, and reminds me of how absolutely powerful the bonds of motherhood are, and how blessed I am to feel these ties with my progeny. Either I am growing used to these separations, or the other shoe hasn't dropped yet due to the noise of studying for midte...