The journey is one long painful discovery, with motherhood the dominant metaphor.

It was while he was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Washington, working in a garage to pay his tuition, that Mr. Moen made his painful discovery.

But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.

Impossible; and yet, periodically he would make some painful discovery about the external world and the horrible reality of its consciousness and its intelligence.

And this painful discovery has stood me in good stead ever since.

I made a painful discovery.

Its main readership is aging baby boomers who, having made the painful discovery that slim waistlines are not forever, have made working out and keeping fit priorities in their lives.

Instead, twenty years of false starts and painful discoveries have taught them that polyamory exacts a price.

If in doubt, read Jonathan Margolis on his biography of Lenny Henry for a painful discovery of the importance of biographical sales as an expression of personal success.

"This is major step in the transfer of Federal responsibilities to the states, and many governors, if they haven't already discovered it, will make that painful discovery in the next year or two."