Here we go:
"We're both in this alone, but the strength of our bond is our backup."
We live separate lives, but joined by that bond. That's just the nature of the relationship. We do our own thing, but our bond is there--mightily stretched sometimes, but it always holds.
I don't know what I would have done without that bond. Megan has been rock-steady for me when I needed her. Sometimes I inconvenience her, and she tells me about it, but she's still available to me when I need her. I have friends I can call on for small favors, but Megan has been with me, practically holding my hand, during surgeries. These last two TIA episodes inconvenienced her greatly, but she was here. When I'm down in the dumps, she scolds me until I realize how truly fortunate I am.
It's not all one-sided. I've always been available to her when she needed any kind of help. I helped her raise her son when his father bailed out on them. I supported her financially until she was able to take care of herself and her child. I've been available to her as a confidante and a counselor.
Now my daughter is not an angel by any means, and we've had our set-tos. But the bond has never been broken.
I'm by no means the perfect mother, but I tried hard to be a good one. A loving one. And the bond is very important to me. I was raised by relatives, not my mother and father, so I tried to give my kids what I thought I had missed in the parent/child bond.
So we go our own way, but that loving bond is always there. Ready to be stretched if necessary, but holding strong.
Baruch HaShem for blessings received.
Shalom