“Because for seventy years, I’ve been more than just a mother—but I’ve never let myself be anything else,” she said. “Now that you’re grown, I just wanted to do something for me. Something that reminded me I’m still a person.” Her words stunned me.

In my frustration, I’d forgotten the decades she’d already given. Maybe this one choice—for herself—wasn’t selfish at all. Maybe it was long overdue.