Alone

Just a few hours after dropping the kids off at their dad's house, I got a phone call from the he-ex's sister. She was whispering as if she was telling me some kind of secret.

"I just wanted to tell you real quick that your daughter just walked in the door and she is so special and so precious and I'm so glad to have her here and we're going to do lots of fun things and I know you must miss the kids because I know what it's like when you're a mom and you worry but I just wanted to tell you that you're doing a great job and these kids are so wonderful and I miss you and I'll talk to you soon." (No, she didn't take a breath)

The call was short and very sweet but it was like one of those movies that after you're done watching it, you can't stop thinking about it. I'm glad she loves my kids. I knew that she did and it was nice of her to tell me how wonderful they were. But they'd only been gone a few hours and I hadn't started missing them yet and I wasn't at all worried. Should I have been? And I miss my former sister-in-law too and the whole family for that matter, but I haven't been included in their lives for years - and "I'll talk to you soon? " Cool!! But what does that mean? I haven't talked to her in months. Haven't really talked in years.

Divorce is a strange thing. I only meant to divorce the he-ex - Not his entire family, but I guess that's what happens. And now, the kids have this whole other side to their lives (when they go to their dad's or to visit his side of the family) that I know nothing about. I used to be a part of all of that. Now I sit here in this quiet house far away from my kids, feeling really disconnected.