Emberwood you always were

okay, so bhediya was right: divulging her own experiences as a mother earlier in the conversation would have proven much less effective than sharing them now. it was a touchy subject that carried with it bounds of painful memories, but offering the knowledge that she'd acquired was necessary to communicate her point.

and it was ibis. bhediya loved ibis; they'd become like family, even if the sentiment was one-sided. 

i've done this twice, she sighed, and in two very different situations. i was there physically, but i wasn't there mentally, meaning i wasn't ready yet. and because i wasn't ready, i caused a lot of pain. pain that i'm still dealing with and that i know my kids are dealing with, too.

there was always the risk of judgement. instead of going into detail, bhediya left it at that. i'm not saying this to scare you, but i...i want you to make sure that when you become a mom, it's because you were ready for it. not because it's what anyone else wanted, but because it's what you wanted.