I know next life is better and pain free, but he won't be my husband then, so I want to cherish this as long as it last, but it feels like a week-long vacation and it's Friday.
it's been a day, and i still can't read that without crying.
I know next life is better and pain free, but he won't be my husband then, so I want to cherish this as long as it last, but it feels like a week-long vacation and it's Friday.
===================================================A divorce when my son was 3 and mourning the life I would not have. I had done everything "right" so it was shocking. I married a pastors son, who had faith, dated for 2 years, went through a premarital church counseling program for engaged couples, etc. All the right boxes were checked to ensure I wouldn't face divorce. Looking back now I snicker at how I thought all those activities would add another level of security or protection. Ex husband never divulged a deep addiction prior to marriage and after several years of counseling told our pastor he was not willing to give it up. Not even to save his marriage. It was difficult because I truly was shocked and even blamed God for years.
We managed to build and maintain a friendship for the sake of our son and by the grace of God have done well over the years. He is still part of my life but he has still not found healing.
==============================================I owned a fairly successful little start-up business many years ago with two partners. Then my wife got sick with a terminal illness. At first my partners were very accommodating. We moved our office space from where it had been near my home, to 20 miles away (city driving) to near their homes. And I began working from home caring for my wife, and only going in to the office a couple times per month. About a year and a half later my partners contracted for health insurance with a new company, and dropped me from the policy. (Our rates had gone up due to my wife's illness.) I found out that I lost my health insurance when the health insurance company called me to inform me about it. Then about a month later my two partners voted me out of the company. They had ingratiated themselves with my largest client (the largest client our company had), convincing the client that I could no longer do their work since I was attending to my wife's illness. In the end I lost everything. Company. Largest client. All my savings. (Almost lost my house.) And eventually my wife.
Anyway, the most difficult thing for me to overcome in all this wasn't the loss of these things. Or even the loss of my wife. It was my struggle to forgive my former partners. It took a long time but I finally forgave them. In fact, I've come around to the point where I sort of feel sorry for them now. I mean, would you want to be in the position of having to explain those actions as you were being judged?
tourist,
how 'old' were you'?!?
I arrived home with nothing but the clothes on my back. Yeah, it was a little challenging. I have heard it said that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. I believe there is an element of truth to that but it was real close.
The hardest time for me was living in Maine for 8 years so my wife could be closer to her family. While there a couple of her brother's took advantage of me as their employee, one didn't even pay me for several months of hard work. As a result I loss our possessions in a storage unit because I didn't have enough to pay a past due amount.
Her adult son mistreated me and took me for granted. I spoke to my late wife many times about his behavior and that we would be happier if he was a distance from us. In her mind her son was a child even though he was in his early 30's and those conversations went nowhere.
We lived with her parents for a few years but they took most of my money every week for room and board leaving me next to nothing to save to get out, yet they would harass me every week about when I was going to move out. Finally, we moved into a nice townhome apartment but unfortunately, due her declining health she was in and out of the hospital and nursing homes. She spent the last 1 1/2 years of her life in a nursing home as I could no longer take good care of her. I saw her every chance that I got.
She was in great pain most of her life and I spent the 11 years of our marriage watching her die a little each day. One day she was crying and I asked what was wrong. She said she couldn't take it anymore and just wanted to be with Jesus. This was the last coherent conversation that I had with her. She died 2 weeks later. She was a deeply spiritual person, with the love of God in her heart.
Now, I finally have a place but my late wife was not there, I was feeding her son who refused to work and supporting his nicotine addiction. Every night when I came home after a hard day of work there would be music blaring and the air was filled with pot smoke. Empty beer cans on the floor. The police were called many times and I was eventually evicted. About that time my car broke down and now I was walking to work, to the grocery store, laundry mat, etc. Her son couldn't even pick up after himself. Also due to the eviction I lost my two dogs whom I loved.
In the end my late wife died from a pulmonary embolism in the heart. Only a respirator was keeping her alive. I told the doctor to take off the mask and let her die with dignity. I gently brushed her hair, told her I loved her and would see her again soon. A minute later she was gone. She was 59 years old.
Her father had died a few years before and a month before she died her mother had died. Her brother said that her mom left her a little money, enough to cover cremation and a simple service. I didn't ask him exactly how much she had been left so it's possible I got cheated out of some money. At the point I didn't care. I went outside the hospital on a gloomy misty Friday night and cried my eyes out.
Her service was to be a week later. I informed the company that I worked for that I was resigning my position and going home to Florida to be with my family. I wished her son the best of luck but this was one road trip that I was going to make alone and he would have to fend for himself. I was emotionally and physically drained from being isolated from my family, living in a harsh cold environment and being stomped on all of the time. The day after the service I hopped on a bus and got the hell out of that God-forsaken place.
I arrived home with nothing but the clothes on my back. Yeah, it was a little challenging. I have heard it said that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. I believe there is an element of truth to that but it was real close.
Understanding salvation I felt I could never be good enough to be saved because it was drilled into me that if you did wrong you went to hell and everything was wrong. I'd promise God I'd be good and obey the commandments and then I'd fail over and over again and I was on a rotating door in and out of church because I felt like such a hypocrite.
At least the last time I stopped going to church I knew I couldn't live without God in my life so I kept having a daily devotional and reading the Bible.
At 56 I was pouring my heart out to God saying I wasn't good enough and I'd never be good enough and He said Darlene you are right you aren't good enough, but that is why my Son died for you so that when you repent and ask for forgiveness His blood covers your sins and I no longer see your sins but see the perfect life of my Son Jesus. I said to God is it just that simple? He said yes.... I started crying like a baby so grateful for His grace and so sorry for the sins I had committed that helped kill Jesus. I was just so thankful and happy all at the same time....
So God took the time to explain to me what salvation was and I'm so glad and happy He did.
==============================================
it sounds as if your business-relationships' are more important than your personal relationships'...
if we don't 'forgive those who trespass against us, neither will our Heavenly Father forgive us'...
(dig a little deeper)...
Business partners already suggest a personal relationship first. Friendship and trust.==============================================
it sounds as if your business-relationships' are more important than your personal relationships'...
if we don't 'forgive those who trespass against us, neither will our Heavenly Father forgive us'...
(dig a little deeper)...
I don't see Aspergers as something to overcome anymore than I see my imperfect eyes as something to overcome. It just is. And it's just a different way of seeing things, (in both cases, one literally, and one not.) You is what you is and you ain't what you isn't.The toughest thing I had to overcome I havent yet. I was born with aspergers which I think is partly to blame I have crippling anxiety. its a life long struggle but Christ is. mmy everything now. Another thing im trying to overcome is being so judgemental. I also almost died of heart failure a few years back i had high risk surgery after that. But I dont count that since the docters are the ones who did all the work.. I also have fond memories of spending time with my mother during recovery so no negative feelings torwards it.