MLC? Let it Be.

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Gwen, I think that would be a good idea, to do the DivorceCare class again. It was suggested when I went to my first session because you will have a bit of a different perspective the second time around -- you'll be in a different place, so you'll pick up things you didn't the first time. (Of course, the facilitator always joked that if you did it 3 times, you were husband-shopping -- ha.) This is a tough road, and those classes were really helpful to me, not just for the lessons, but because of the new friends I made. The first group pulled me through those first several awful months after BD. I will never forget all the help and companionship we gave each other. 6 of us are very close still, and text each other regularly. We called ourselves The Overcomers. :-) Hang in there, Gwen.

Mighty - thanks for checking in here. Yesterday was my 52nd birthday, and I threw a dinner party for 8 close girlfriends who were so helpful to me in the last year and a half. If it hadn't been for them (and my DivorceCare groups!), I would not be where I am today. I feel like I've come a long way, and they were a big part of making me feel like myself again, and in getting me to look forward, and not backward anymore. So easy to say, so hard to do. Lean on your friends and family, Mighty, and even when you don't feel like doing something, make yourself go out. I was always glad I forced myself, and little by little, I started to have fun again. I remembered what I was like before marriage. Different for you, no doubt, since you were very young when you married -- I was 30. You may have more 'rebuilding' to do, and reinventing (or inventing?) yourself. So worth all the time and effort! And Spring is a great time to start!

Bright - great quote! Thanks for that. When one door closes...

So my dinner party was a blast. 8 girlfriends, and if I had had the room, I would have invited 5 more! I feel so fortunate to have them all in my life. I, the person who never wants to be the center of attention, made the first 'toast' I have ever made in my life, to my friends who helped me navigate this storm.

And do you think I had even an acknowledgement of my birthday from the man who I spent 20+ years with? Nope. Not even a text this year. (Last year, that's all I got: "happy birthday" -- not even any punctuation in it.) He made his point. We are D. He no longer "has to do" anything for me. Got it.