For those with a WAS...How do you cope?

[courts0818]

Day 18, Journaling

I feel really good tonight. My heart is filled with so much pride. DD sang at church today. This was her first "performance" type of event.

Things I'm thankful for this weekend:
1. Seeing DD sing at church - and all the other kids too.
2. My church's awesome children's ministry - these kids are learning about God's love and how much they matter!
3. H, his parents, my parents and his grandma came to see DD.
4. Our senior pastor and his message today - it was so good, he is amazing.
5. DD and I volunteered at Feed The Children this weekend - I love that she can come along too and experience helping others.
6. How sweet DD looked in her Christmas dress, tights, shoes and hair bow.
7. My family
8. A significant amount of communication with H this weekend.
9. The groceries I bought
10. The love, hope, strength, faith, mercy and forgiveness that God offers to us - all we have to do is ask.

The following is from a daily devotional that I recevied and I love it. I hope it will touch your heart the way it touched mine:
*This year I have pondered how to re-gift the joy found in the Christmas story that Jesus gives - "a great joy which will be to all people." I believe the best way is to display our joy in all circumstances, good and bad. We may not enjoy the situations we find ourselves in, but we can have joy. Our joy can issue forth from the fact that Jesus came to earth as an infant, ministered, died on the cross and resurrected from the grave. He did this as a gift for all of us.*

In many of our situations, it's so hard to not get down and feel totally hopeless at times. Like me, I'm sure you've felt like your H or W has shattered your heart - similar to an icicle falling off a tall building and smashing into countless pieces on the ground. You've felt alone, broken, betrayed, furious, shocked, distraught, miserable, bewildered, overwhelmed, fearful, worried, discouraged...you've experienced total confusion and stress...maybe you experience all of these feelings every single day. Maybe you've been totally inconsistent and irrational in your DB efforts - like I was.

Whatever your sitch is, please think about this...The best way is to display our joy in all circumstances, good and bad. We may not enjoy the situations we find ourselves in, but we can have joy. I have to remind myself of this on a daily basis, but that's okay, bc it helps me to focus on the good and not the bad.