As Lorna moved away to the other side of the cooking hearth to look after the twins Dalia walked over to Mira's side and looked up at her older sister whom she idolized.  Leaning in closer she whispered, "Mira, you have to help me.  Mom's been really down lately but she's to good at hiding what she's feeling for me to figure it out.  I... well I mean it must to have something to do with dad... but why does thinking of him make her so sad?  I mean... I used to get sad to sometimes but now it only makes me angry to think about the fact that he just up and left all of us."<br/><br/>From her place across the hearth where she was sitting cross legged on the ground to the side of the twins Lorna watched her to oldest children come together and saw how Dalia leaned in to seemingly conspire with Mira.  With the set of Dalia's shoulders Lorna knew the girl was talking about her father.  The man's leaving had been devastating for all of them except for the twins who never knew him nor Dustin who had been really to young at the time to understand what had really happened.  Dustin would only occasionally ask about where his father was before running off to get into some kind of mischief soon forgetting his own question.  But her oldest daughters were another story altogether.<br/><br/>They both remembered the man as clearly as she herself did and it broke Lorna's heart knowing that she could never truly hope to fill the gap his leaving them had left in their hearts and lives.  It broke her heart that she did not know how to talk to Mira about men and the possibility of one day Mira finding her own mate.  Especially when her own heart was completely torn on the matter.  She both missed the man she had married and fallen in love with while yet she despised him for leaving her and the children the way he had done.  She knew the man wasn't dead.  She had seen him briefly at the first two summer meetings immediately following the year after he had left.  And had since then heard rumors of him having settled down somewhere far to the south with a brand new wife and child.  This thought made Lorna physically sick to her stomach so much so that she nearly completely lost any desire to eat.  Except for the fact that her children needed her and she needed her children.<br/><br/>One thing Lorna had been grateful for though was the shining example that Vanyel was when he was with Oena.  There was a pure love there that made it very plain for anyone to see just how wonderful life could be when one had the right man by their side.  Tamen too had been a shining example up until the loss of his wife and one of her best life long friends Reyna.