I was free. I was sad. I was happy. I was perplexed. I was thankful. I was angry but more hurt than angry. I was forging a new path. I waited. I wondered. I forged on. I didn’t know what came next. I tried my level best. I was also disheartened. I was forty-six.

I didn’t have a career job, but I wanted one, and was striving for one. I didn’t want any job though. I wanted a teaching job. I interviewed for one, two, three and so forth. But I didn’t get them. I asked myself many questions. I wanted to find my groove but couldn’t. In fact, I interviewed for three jobs the week my daughter was born. A few more came my way, but I didn’t get chosen. I got some temporary jobs that helped out. There came a point where I decided to let it go. I wanted to teach but it didn’t seem as if God was in it.

I sat down on the divan. I lit a candle. The room was peaceful. I asked God what I should do. I was listening. I couldn’t figure it out but I wanted to. The room was quiet. It was just him and me. I waited. Eventually, after much prayer, the Lord spoke to me in his inaudible voice. First, he gave me the same message, Trust Me. He had always given me that message. Then he whispered that he was still with me. I decided to go outside and walk in the orchard.

Then God spoke again to me. It was inaudible yet I knew he was talking to me. I saw my heart bleeding. Then I saw a cross that was entering where my heart was bleeding. The cross was like a sword. I drew it on my journal paper. Then the cross stood upright and alone. I cried the cries of a broken heart for a short while. Then they stopped. I breathed deeply. Eventually, God gave me a thought for each of my children.

Quote…

‘Take away the burden of living it, put joy in its place. Transform this heart of mine. I want to live life abundant in you. Help me to choose honesty in all situations. (I want) sunshine in my soul. How shall I think toward R? in faith, believing. How? I am the God of the impossible. I can make all things new.

Josh? Listen to him.

LaVonne? Pray for her.

Thomas? Teach him.

Forrest? Love him.

Glorianne? Take time for her.

Randy? Support him. How? Seek my will. What is your will? To make all things new. The old marriage is dead, but joy comes in the morning.‘

Then I wrote the following…

‘Since near the beginning I have not had trust and I have learned to love without the comfort and security of faithful oneness. I have longed for it.The people (couples) that have close fellowship and fidelity in all things with their mates have the key ingredient for longevity in marriage. I wonder if I will ever be the participant in such a union of ‘oneness’. Regardless of all this, I will thank the Lord. He has been with me and blessed me continually. His love outpours when I need it most. I will praise him! Glory to his name. Thank you Jesus. Fill my innermost being with your presence; bless me and my relationships. Guard me from the deceit of temptation. Guide me in your will for me. Speak your truth to me. Help me to listen well. Expand my influence for you. Be my Lord in every avenue of my life~including my wants and desires, thoughts and actions. I am ready to listen and do. Remove the fear of man from my self-perceptions. It has caused me to hold back throughout my 47 years. Help me to accept the person I am, that you made as complete, not lacking any good thing. Heal my innermost hurts that hamper my judgement and thinking. Release (me). Push through the shyness.’ I wrote my thoughts like a prayer and meant them.

I was on the right path now. People were praying for me, the kids, and my erring husband. I knew he was gone and gone for good. He made it clear to me. I remember talking to Millie, a good friend of mine, and she said that she wouldn’t have stayed in the marriage if her husband wanted out. In fact, her first marriage ended because of that very thing. The divorce was a few days away. There were a few things to finish up, like the divorce language, but basically we were about ready for the divorce to be completed. The day I picked up the divorce legality, I knew it was done. My siblings sent me a bouquet and some kind words. I felt down. I had tried so hard, but I knew it was over. Now I had to think about my next steps. I had to tell my tax accountant, my church family, a few friends, and eventually where I worked.

Unfortunately, I was trying to make sense of it, but not doing it well. I was emotional, very emotional. I had tried so hard, for 21 years, but it had never been enough. Yet God had a plan for me and the children (ages 4 – 18). Later on, I would understand and take it to heart. I want you to know that God doesn’t waste anything. The divorce was painful, but he was there. Every time I was discouraged, God brought someone into my life who encouraged me. In fact, one of my friends had almost been killed by her mother but God rescued her. I was out of work for almost a year and then God brought me back to the same school. It was really amazing. My pastor was a great help. He helped me see things I was unable to see. I worked in the church with a greater understanding. He told the church about our marriage breakup, but he was so kind and gracious in how he did it. I am so glad he was.

Next week I will finish this series. I’m thankful that the divorce was long ago. It’s rather hard to bring it back now, in that so much time has gone past…but I have my journals and I’m in a much healthier state.

God is beautiful!

The years came and went. There were happy moments. There were sad moments. We kept pushing on. We had two more children. I learned a lot during those years. My sister died, which was terribly hard. My husband kept changing jobs, which was difficult for me and the family. We didn’t have much money or nice furniture. I went to school. I tried to get a teaching job. I’d interview but the jobs didn’t come. I continued to take coursework. There was more required than there had been. I kept pushing. To be honest, I really didn’t want to work but I needed to. I just knew my mate could leave me again. I wanted to be ready just in case.

My father had a 40 acre walnut orchard on the farm where he lived. He surprised me when he offered the orchard to me to farm. He and I would split the dollar amount the orchard produced. I was quite surprised. I started farming the orchard just after my fifth child was born. The first year my cousin helped us with the orchard…which was a good thing. Then after, he always helped with the tractoring. The kids and I moved the pipe for the irrigation, sprayed the weeds, pruned the trees, and kept the walnut orchard functioning. We did this for exactly twenty years. My oldest daughter and second son desired to get their education at BIOLA, so the orchard income helped. BIOLA is a private university which means big bucks. The orchard income helped with some of their college bills. My kids learned the work and how to work. But I digress.

My husband decided to move out of our home early in the year 2002. This time I had no choice. We had really failed to have a rich and rewarding home life although I can truthfully say I really and truthfully tried. And, I think, my mate tried in his own way. My oldest child, Josh, was away at college in Oregon that year. He was told (more in next week’s post), and my daughter, LaVonne, cried (more in next week’s post). She was in her senior year. Thomas was fifteen, Forrest was in fifth or sixth grade and Glorianne was in preschool. I was teaching part-time in the Hamilton Elementary School. I kept the news to myself at work. I didn’t think I could talk about it without crying and I was a fairly private person. The same week my husband left, the principle at the school told me my part-time job would end come summer. I was completely bummed. I’d worked so hard too secure the employment but simply it didn’t matter.

By then we had moved to the property where the orchard was planted. My parents had moved to their property in Capay. I managed by working in the orchard and continued my classwork. I thought it would be best if I continued to work as a classroom teacher. Fortunately I knew the reading specialist at Hamilton was going to retire. It worked out. She retired and I interviewed for the job. I got the job. It’s weird to think of now. Those were some trying times. You see, I still loved my husband, even though he didn’t love me (though I believed he did, just wasn’t sure he did). I remember when he told me that he was leaving for good, we both cried. He told me he had tried, and I believed him. I still believe him. He left, and that was that.

It was so sad. My son, Thomas, was at Driver’s Education class. He was told by his father when he was brought home. It was a Sunday. LaVonne and Forrest went outside when Thomas was left by their father. I looked out the window, the three of them had their arms around each other, their heads were bent, and they were crying. It was hard to make sense of. I couldn’t understand how he thought. I went out in the orchard, sat under a tree, and bitterly cried. I didn’t want my kids to see me cry, so I cried where they couldn’t see me. The next few years are a bit of a blur.

It would be best if I told you why I tried so hard. You see, I had the good parents, the strong parenting, the better home by far. My mate had been raised in such a different zone than I had. He hadn’t been raised by a mother that cared. His father was not able to show him the way to be a strong father. They both cheated. The kids knew about their cheating (that’s all I will say but there’s more). He became a Christian when he was in the army. He’d not been raised with what I had been. If the roles were reversed, I would want and wish for a stable mate.

I’m going to tell you a few of the moments that will make sense to you. You learn a lot those times when you’re going through some things that are hard. It takes time to sort your feelings from your reality. I am going to share a couple of those times in my next post.

As I said, I learned a lot. God teaches us when we are willing to listen. We can’t tell God what to do. We can try but it tends to be in our own effort. I was hurt, but not broken. God had so much to teach me. I learned to listen, to sort, to throw away that which didn’t make sense, and keep that which did. I couldn’t change the situation. I couldn’t make it easier for my kids, though I wanted to. I couldn’t make my husband, or the school, want me. I was on empty. Totally on empty. But God had much he wanted to show me. He held me up. He held my kids up. He taught us. He helped us. He brought friends into our lives. He taught me to wait, to listen, to learn, to make his way clear. I had much to learn, and learn I did. But most of all, I learned to trust in God.

to be continued

What Do You Want?

You turn older and think to yourself, “What do I have to offer now?” Our life is not what it used to be. We can’t do what used to come so easily. We aren’t sure what we can do or whether we are up to it now. But I believe that we get caught up in the non essentials. God has something for each of us. I know He does.

Why Are You Here?

Our life goes through changes as the years fly by. Sometimes the days rumble on by and we barely think about it. Other times, we have less going on than we used to. We have to step back or wait awhile on the sidelines until God shows us. But we never stop seeking or finding. We should look ahead toward the things God has for us NOWl

How Do You Make It?

What do I mean by NOW? We can only live today. That’s it. We can plan for tomorrow but we live for today. This sort of puts me in a quandary. I’ve spent a lot of my life planning for the future. But God tells me to live for the day. I do think we approach our life differently every year. We have to because there are surprises we don’t plan on. Things that we don’t plan on that surface and must be taken care of. Yet, we do the best when we look to God in our future.

When Should You Start?

Now. We should start planning and doing the best we can every day. There is a key to this, though. When we put God in control of our lives in every thing we do, He makes our lives a thing of beauty. It may be hard. It may be unusual, it may have unexpectantly difficult things but God is in charge. When He is in charge and we are willing, He makes beauty from ashes. Beauty from pain and sorrow. He brings singing when we are quiet. We look at the small things and see great things. God brings joy from sorrow. Praise Him!

Let’s Do It!

Maybe you’re already doing this. Keep on striving, completing, helping, encouraging, reading, helping, and bringing the threads of your life into one great united ball of thread! Maybe you have agreed to stay in a marriage where your mate expects you to take care of most of his/her needs. Give God the glory. Maybe you have a health issue that brings you much trouble. Give God the glory. Maybe you lost a child or have a blistered walk with him. Give God the glory. In everything Give God the Glory!!!

God loves us. God keeps us. God helps us. God motivates us. God shows us the way. He brings us further. He brings us higher. He lifts us up. He guides us. He gives us the strength to go through the difficult days. HE HELPS US! We are not in this alone. He is here. He gives us some added bonuses like family and friends and even helpers. Thank Him for them all. Be thankful. Be kind. Do more. Bring people to Him. Help them. He is willing, able, and brings and gives us more than we thought possible.