potential mother # 1 mentor mom

As I awaited the outcome of my mother ad,  I realized there was a huge likelihood that no one would answer.  Why would someone reading the personals in search of a romantic connection be intrigued by the possibility of a surrogate daughter?  How would I feel when I checked my email and saw no takers?  I allowed myself to be inspired that my ad was out in the world perhaps reaching someone who might imagine herself in the type of union I'd proposed.  And if not, I reassured myself that I could still move forward without a mother--that I had done it all of my life.

It was not until I discovered the first letter in my box that I considered what I had begun.

Dear ???  I am a mother and grandmother, and occasional one-on-one mentor to younger people.  How can I help?  Willing to email.  Mentor Mom

For those of you who are new to my blog, I began to chronicle this mother ad story in a few May posts which described my decision to place an ad for a mother in The New York Review of books as well as the process of writing the ad.