For years, I was the mother who always said yes. I put everyone else first, even when I was exhausted and had nothing left to give. But after a painful family vacation in Brittany, my daughter finally realized what she had been doing to me. And at 62, I discovered something I should have learned decades earlier: loving your family should never mean losing yourself.

There were still misunderstandings.

There were still days when she called at the wrong moment or when I agreed to something before realizing I was too tired.

Sometimes, I had to remind myself that I was allowed to change my mind.

Sometimes, Claire had to remind herself to ask instead of assume.

But we kept trying.

And that mattered.

One Sunday afternoon, Claire invited me to lunch.

This time, I did not spend the morning preparing food.

I arrived with a small cake from the bakery.

Julien opened the door and smiled.

“Perfect timing, Mireille. We were just making coffee.”

Inside, Noé was playing on the living-room floor.

When he saw me, he jumped up.

“Grandma!”

He ran toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

Then he looked at the cake.

“Is that for us?”

I pretended to think about it.

“Perhaps. But only if someone gives me a big hug first.”