Reflections on a Week of Distance, Loss, and Returning to First Love This week felt like walking a long road with my heart tugged in several directions at once; motherhood, work, and the physical distance from the little lives that make my days sing. Waking up without the usual small noises, answering emails between naps and feedings, and carrying on conversations over video calls has left me tender and a little raw; the ordinary rhythms of home have been replaced by photos and hurried phone calls, and that ache of absence has been a constant companion. Yet in that very…