Liberation Day

Two years ago from yesterday I felt my life crumble underneath me. It was the night my ex-husband left. Unlike some, my initial reaction was relief. I had felt trapped in a miserable marriage for so long, but never was willing to be the one to walk away from it. I felt like I was going to have a second chance at happiness. Within a few moments though, reality set in. It was a fear of the unknown. Everything in my life was about to change. Over the next few months I would move back in with my parents, lose … Continue reading

Trusting in a Bigger Picture

I’ve always believed that everything in life happens for a reason. My life hasn’t gone at all how I thought it would, but there have been many lessons that I have learned along my bumpy path. I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger. There were a few years when I wandered aimlessly. I had no real purpose, I was simply living in the moment, without realizing the lasting consequences that those decisions would make someday. My divorce gave me a chance to put all that behind me. It gave me a chance to start anew. I had … Continue reading

My Blessing in Disguise

Tomorrow would have marked my 4th anniversary with my ex-husband. It’s hard to remember what life was even like back then, it seems a lifetime ago. I remember feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was making the biggest mistake of my life as I walked down the aisle. My head knew things weren’t going to work, but my heart was too stubborn to listen and convinced me to go through with it. I so desperately wanted a “happily ever after family.” I wanted my son to grow up with both of his parents living under the same … Continue reading

Gifts for the Other Parent

Christmas time is all about the gift of giving, but when it comes to presents for the ex, things get a little tricky. It has always been important to me for Logan to have the opportunity to give his dad something for Christmas, birthdays, and other such holidays. The first year his dad seemed to feel the same way. Though neither of us had much money, we both made an effort to take Logan to pick something out for the other. It meant a lot to Logan to be able to give us something, since he couldn’t do much on … Continue reading

Happiness in the Moment

I dread the holidays all year long, not because I don’t like them, but because they inevitably bring confrontation as my ex and I struggle to decide who gets Logan and who doesn’t. No matter what someone is missing their little boy and it tends to be a touchy subject for both of us. Believe it or not I’ve actually been dreading it since about the day after Christmas last year. I worried and fretted about it and wondered what would happen as we tried to coordinate everyone’s schedules so that Logan was able to see as much of his … Continue reading

Perspective

A wise man once said, “We can complain that rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” This wise man happened to be an amazing leader of our country during a time when our country was falling apart. Abraham Lincoln had plenty he could complain about. Leading a country that was at war with each other would be daunting for anyone, but he led with grace and chose to see the beauty rather than the destruction. As single parents it is easy to complain. Raising a child alone is tough. Being divorced is a constant challenge. Your … Continue reading

Take a Deep Breath

I have a confession to make. I give great advice, but I haven’t been following it lately. I’ve been letting the stress of life get to me. So much so that I had a major melt down last night which in turn led my body to tell me to quit it. How does my body tell me this you ask? I woke up with a cold sore. I had never had one of these until I met my ex-husband, one of the many negative things he passed along. But now, whenever I let the emotional stress consume me I inevitably … Continue reading

Divorce: A Bad Word

I will never forget when my children were younger and a neighbor child rang my doorbell to inform me that my son (who was about 7 years old at the time) had said a “bad” word.  “Really?” I responded.  “What did he say?” You could tell this kid was proud of himself, sure that after he told me, my son would be getting into some really big trouble.  Loudly he declared, “He said,” but then he barely whispered, “hell.”  I had to bend over to hear the word. Well as it turned out my son was apparently relaying a message … Continue reading

Numb

I found out my ex-husband is getting remarried tonight. What’s worse, he didn’t have the nerve to tell me himself, I found out through Facebook. At first I was in shock. Wasn’t it only a few months ago that he told me he wasn’t getting married again anytime soon? Wasn’t it only a year ago that he was trying to get back together? While I am thoroughly convinced that getting divorced was the best decision in the world for me, it is hard to watch my former husband become somebody else’s. Not because I want to be with him, but … Continue reading

Go Out!

I haven’t been on a date in several months, mostly because I’ve begun to question my choice in men. The last several have been about as far from Mr. Right as you could possibly get. To put it nicely they were downright crummy. After the last one, I’ve been pretty gun shy. I have honestly started to wonder if there was such a thing as a “good guy”. I’m still working on that one, but I’ll let you know if they exist, I just have to find one first. So far, no luck! Tomorrow will be my first date in … Continue reading