The best part of the flu is not having it.
Don't let anyone punch holes in your happiness.
Charlotte Jones Stringer I like that thought! Thanks!
Margie Schulz AMEN.. :-)
Nancy Hoover That is a great thought. Thank you!
Creative freedom comes when we are unencumbered by the concerns of our everyday lives.
Kimberly Coombs I know what you mean
Being in the majority does not mean one's opinion is necessarily correct or in the best interest of the whole.
Chris Mann On the other hand, it does mean you just voted in a democracy.... :-)
Stacey Friedlein This is true if one takes the conviction of their opinion to the polling place.
Michael D. Davis Good food for contemplation. Thanks for posting Stacey!
Chet Coonrod That's why it's good that we live in a Republic... not a democracy. When gov't is by LAWS, the majority cannot silence the minority just because they don't like what they hear
If your shoes are uncomfortable first check to make sure they are yours.
Enduring another's journey helps bring perspective to our own path.
Share kindness with a stranger.
Amy Mears I did @ 7:30am today in the McD's drive thru---she was a little short on $ for her order........:O)
A man with a plan is a man who can.
How we judge ourselves is often how others will also judge us.
Christine Cousart I hope not!
Without hard work we wouldn't know the joy of leisure.
Todd Nichols It does take hard work!
When we allow our worries to overcome us, they can manifest into the reality we fear.
Tara Cuccia This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes "What you fear, you create" Its so true! Thank you for that reminder.
Kristy Krokos Williamson Thanks I needed that!
Stephanie Deveau have you been reading the fortune cookies again?
Stacey Friedlein No, but I may start writing them
Real strength lies in one's ability to leverage the strength of those around them to achieve the desired goals. The use of such strength can build bridges or drive wedges. Standing by passively usurps an individual’s ability to do either.
When you choose to blaze your own trail there is no wrong direction.
Larry Perez I love this!
Wl McCoy Good qoute...go out in a blaze of glory....haha
Fred Hinegardner I'm all in favor of blazing your own trail. I've made a career of it. Yet, I must say I've wasted a lot of blaze making a lot of wrong turns.
John Mireles Of course if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.
Fred Hinegardner Yes, John, but won't doubling your speed and multitasking compensate for being lost?
Fred Hinegardner ...there's an easy layup for you, Stacy.
One's faith has nothing to do with their theology and everything to do with being in relationship with God.
Jessica Bell I couldn't agree more! Great thought. ♥
Miracles happen every day. Acknowledgement allows us to live with great expectations.
Debra Goddard Nice thoughts. Have a good day, Stacey!
Rebecca Houlihan Love this.
What is on the outside may never show the turmoil within.
We fondly remember the past, not because of some romanticized nostalgia but because we survived.
Change is inevitable. Predicting how we deal with it can be impossible. Controlling it should be left to a higher power.
Finding success often comes from growing out of our failures.
Some people write good books and come up with great quotes. I have decided to write good quotes and see if I can come up with a great book.
It is time to stop rewarding ourselves for our self-conceived good deeds and search the next opportunity to do good.
Rules should be made for inclusion not exclusion.
Erin Tyler likes this.
Fred Hinegardner An example, please?
Stacey Friedlein The rules say I cannot provide you with an example.
Fred Hinegardner Hehe - Nice, Stacey. You made me smile. I like constructs that fold back on themselves, like a flower that becomes double-petaled.
Don't mistake being busy with being productive.
Kerri Lydell learning this!
Melissa Atchison Rentfro Oooh that is good
When conservatives and liberals are so extreme they have to look the opposite way to see each other it is time we all reassess our views.
In forgiveness we gain freedom.
Cindy Powell that is sooo true!
Don't live in fear of evil but embrace the love of God.
Riz Crescini Amen, brother!
Fred Hinegardner ok
A discontented heart can be settled by discovering the ache and moving head-on in achieving what the heart desires.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Marriage epithet
On Wednesday of this week my divorce was final. After more than thirty-two years in a relationship I always felt would last a lifetime it is now over. There are a million emotions running through me.
I am mourning the death of what I once held closest to my heart. A marriage to the person I always considered my best friend. She was my first and only serious girlfriend and we seemed destined to spend our lives together. We had what many would have considered the perfect life. We dated for four years before we married then waited seven years before we had our first child.
On the outside and even in my mind's eye it was a good marriage. However, reality shows we had really grown apart in the last several years and had lost touch with each other and no longer shared the same hopes and dreams for our future.
As with the failure of anything there are feelings of heartache, sadness and disappointment. It is amazing how two who were once so close could grow so far apart. Allowing external things destroy what was once such a vital relationship. During the year since we separated I have tried hard not to assign blame or become angry. Believe me this has been the most challenging year of my life.
In this past year I have gone from having a well paying job, a start up business which was doing well, and we were living in the house of our dreams. Today my business is struggling, our dream home has been sold, I am now living alone in an apartment and I am very lonely.
I feel some guilt for not working harder to make the marriage work. By the time I tried it was too late. I feel guilty that my children have to endure the pain and heartache of their parents’ divorce. I feel guilty that I was not cut from cloth that could simply get a job to earn a wage but that I needed to follow my dream and where I believe God intended me to be.
I feel pain from a broken heart and a severed family. Her family was always very dear to me and my love for them will never change. Her dad was like a second father to me and saw me through a lot of personal trials over the years. Her mom was always loving and supportive and very concerned for our happiness. I feel in many ways that I also failed them.
I have failed. I have failed to keep those sacred vows I took to keep, to love, honor and cherish. It is in this failure I feel the most despair. Often I have asked myself where it all began to go so bad and I can't answer. I know I must share and take blame for where I failed. I ask my children, my family, my friends, my God and most of all I ask Kelly to forgive me for my failure. Most importantly I know I have to find a way to forgive myself.
I am supposed to feel happiness. For the fact the ordeal of the divorce process is over I am happy. For a chance to move forward with my life I am happy. But to think I can simply close the book on thirty-two years of my life is not possible. Much of whom I am and who I will be in the future I owe to Kelly and the time we were together.
The products of this marriage were two wonderful children. Now young adults, they have endured this past year in a very mature and loving manner. I will always love them with all of my being and I pray they will grow to know the love I have felt and they will learn from the mistakes we made.
In the days and weeks ahead I expect my life will be very different from my past. I will need to start to have new dreams and goals. God has gifted me with so much and I will continue to seek His will for how I am to use these gifts in service to him and my fellow man.
The healing process for me has begun. The writing of this note is the beginning. It is the first time I have been able to write anything in several days. To me it is a sign that God is at work in helping me to heal. Over the next weeks and months I would ask you who read this to say a little extra prayer for me, for Kelly and for the kids that we may all heal.
There will always be a special place in my heart for this relationship and the life we were allowed to share. I wish only happiness for Kelly and hope she finds what she is seeking in her life. She is and always will be special to me. To Kelly, be happy and remember ILU.
I know all of this is a process. For me I probably have made it more difficult than I needed but it is who I am. So, my dear friends seek happiness and when you find it hang on to it for all you are worth.
As I seek a new life this is the lesson which I am taking with me. To hold on to those who are closest and not let anything keep me from finding new happiness.
I am mourning the death of what I once held closest to my heart. A marriage to the person I always considered my best friend. She was my first and only serious girlfriend and we seemed destined to spend our lives together. We had what many would have considered the perfect life. We dated for four years before we married then waited seven years before we had our first child.
On the outside and even in my mind's eye it was a good marriage. However, reality shows we had really grown apart in the last several years and had lost touch with each other and no longer shared the same hopes and dreams for our future.
As with the failure of anything there are feelings of heartache, sadness and disappointment. It is amazing how two who were once so close could grow so far apart. Allowing external things destroy what was once such a vital relationship. During the year since we separated I have tried hard not to assign blame or become angry. Believe me this has been the most challenging year of my life.
In this past year I have gone from having a well paying job, a start up business which was doing well, and we were living in the house of our dreams. Today my business is struggling, our dream home has been sold, I am now living alone in an apartment and I am very lonely.
I feel some guilt for not working harder to make the marriage work. By the time I tried it was too late. I feel guilty that my children have to endure the pain and heartache of their parents’ divorce. I feel guilty that I was not cut from cloth that could simply get a job to earn a wage but that I needed to follow my dream and where I believe God intended me to be.
I feel pain from a broken heart and a severed family. Her family was always very dear to me and my love for them will never change. Her dad was like a second father to me and saw me through a lot of personal trials over the years. Her mom was always loving and supportive and very concerned for our happiness. I feel in many ways that I also failed them.
I have failed. I have failed to keep those sacred vows I took to keep, to love, honor and cherish. It is in this failure I feel the most despair. Often I have asked myself where it all began to go so bad and I can't answer. I know I must share and take blame for where I failed. I ask my children, my family, my friends, my God and most of all I ask Kelly to forgive me for my failure. Most importantly I know I have to find a way to forgive myself.
I am supposed to feel happiness. For the fact the ordeal of the divorce process is over I am happy. For a chance to move forward with my life I am happy. But to think I can simply close the book on thirty-two years of my life is not possible. Much of whom I am and who I will be in the future I owe to Kelly and the time we were together.
The products of this marriage were two wonderful children. Now young adults, they have endured this past year in a very mature and loving manner. I will always love them with all of my being and I pray they will grow to know the love I have felt and they will learn from the mistakes we made.
In the days and weeks ahead I expect my life will be very different from my past. I will need to start to have new dreams and goals. God has gifted me with so much and I will continue to seek His will for how I am to use these gifts in service to him and my fellow man.
The healing process for me has begun. The writing of this note is the beginning. It is the first time I have been able to write anything in several days. To me it is a sign that God is at work in helping me to heal. Over the next weeks and months I would ask you who read this to say a little extra prayer for me, for Kelly and for the kids that we may all heal.
There will always be a special place in my heart for this relationship and the life we were allowed to share. I wish only happiness for Kelly and hope she finds what she is seeking in her life. She is and always will be special to me. To Kelly, be happy and remember ILU.
I know all of this is a process. For me I probably have made it more difficult than I needed but it is who I am. So, my dear friends seek happiness and when you find it hang on to it for all you are worth.
As I seek a new life this is the lesson which I am taking with me. To hold on to those who are closest and not let anything keep me from finding new happiness.
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