Let's Get Started
ByTime to get down to some nitty gritty. What I mean is…let’s talk about being Catholic, being divorced and being parents. Not one of those areas is easy – all three together is downright tough!
Being Catholic – this can be difficult as far as really LIVING the Catholic faith in this world. It’s a challenge. On the other hand, facing the world and its challenges while having our Catholic faith to rely on for guidance, support and comfort makes being Catholic quite a valuable benefit!
Being divorced – no two ways about it….going through a divorce is (in my opinion) as close as a person can get to going through hell without leaving this life. I still refer to that period of my life as when I “was going through hell.” (By the way, I was separated in June of 2000 and my divorce was final in April of 2002.)
Being parents – a wonderful, amazing, awe-inspiring experience….a blessing beyond all measure….and, sometimes, yet another form of hell! And that’s how it is when you have a spouse (the child’s other parent) as your companion, confidant & partner! As a single parent – after the kids have experienced the separation and divorce of their parents – it can really be a frightening challenge at times – lots of times. Of course, it’s still wonderful, amazing, awe-inspiring and a blessing beyond measure, but with a lonely and sometimes scary twist thrown into the mix.
On another note…..
My faith and my children got me through the divorce! My faith showed me that I COULD be strong and my children gave me the reason to BE strong. And, of course, my faith and my children were my loving support through it all…even when I couldn’t feel my faith and when I dearly wanted to be alone so that I could grieve without my children seeing or hearing. (yes, there WERE times when my children saw and heard my grief, but, when kept to a minimum, I think that can be a good thing.)
Have you gone through a divorce? How long ago? What helped you?
Are you going through separation or divorce now? Our prayers are with you! There’s no way around the pain – you can only go through it. But know that you WILL come through it a stronger and happier person.
Until next time…please leave comments and/or questions. I’d LOVE to hear from you.
Warmly,
Manya
“Being parents – a wonderful, amazing, awe-inspiring experience….a blessing beyond all measure…
……and, sometimes, yet another form of hell!”
Oh, why thank you so much Mom.
Seriously, though, looking good so far!
~ Me
Catholic and divorced mother of 2 (with #1 Daughter also)
Unfortunately for me the hell has gotten worse over the years as the dad finds great anger in my catholicism.
Claudia,
I’m so glad you found us. Thank you for leaving a comment! I’m sorry to hear that hell has gotten worse for you due to your ex-husband’s anger towards your faith. I’ll address this problem and some possible solutions in a future post. Thank you for bringing it up!
In the meantime, you’re in my prayers and I’d love to hear from you again. You’ve given me another idea, too. I’ll put a ‘contact me’ link in the side bar so that private messages can be sent.
Manya