One Realization

Today was a great day! My same brother of whom I spoke in my last post is a new father to another healthy baby boy! That's number 3 for them! He is beautiful. They are all doing great and his 3 year old big brother kissed him on the forehead before he left the hospital to go home and said, "I love you baby". What could be better than that?

So I was thinking today. In my whole entire family, my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, (I'm one of 6, my mom one of 5, my dad one of 3 with several cousins) there are 2 people who have gotten divorced. That's it. My Mom's sister (I don't even think I ever met her husband...Navy man, ironically) and my cousin in California. That's it (I think)! That is why I feel like I'm wearing a scarlet letter (even though I didn't do anything to deserve it) and why I feel so alienated. In David's family, his parents were both divorced before they married each other, his oldest sister is divorced and remarried, his brother is divorced, I don't know about his aunts and uncles because his mom is one of 14 and I don't really know much about his Dad's siblings if he had any (I think he did). The differences are amazing. Whether people have been devoted because it is the right thing to do, or because they have worked through their differences, they have for the most part, in my family, stayed together...followed God's plan/law. No wonder I feel like I'm a failure. BUT, as I was reading I Corinthians, Chapter 7, something else dawned on me. The BIBLE talks about divorce. These writings that are over 2000 years old talk about divorce! This is not something new, this is an age-old problem that people have been dealing with for literally thousands of years. This has become a huge problem since the 1960-1970's, but it is not a YOUNG problem. I am not the first, I will not be the last and I have a lot going for me that women before me never could have dreamed of. I am able to get a good job, that I love. I am able to support my children and see them grow up...I won't be there for everything, but because I will only need one job, I will be there for a lot! I am able to not only survive this, but thrive and be happy. God has a plan for me! I have become so much closer to God through all this than I have ever been in my life. That's one check for God! I am reading the bible every day, like I have never done before in my life. That's two checks for God! My family is amazing...they have supported me and loved me and guided me and given me hope and strength through all of this and I'm sure will continue to do so. What an amazing gift! My friends have risen to the challenge to support me through all of this and have offered more love, guidance and compassion than I could ever dream of. They say you find out who your friends are in times like these and boy do I have some AMAZING friends. What a life I have! How could I fail? With God, my family and all my friends I have the best I could ever ask for! Thank you all for your prayers, love and support...without it I could not have gotten through this, and although it is not over, I realize...truly realize that I am getting the best part of this whole deal. I may not have a husband, but I have a terrific group of people that I love, who love me back, and I have an AWESOME God! So, thank you!