Today was a pretty good day…mostly. I started the day with orange rolls (can’t go wrong with those!), and proceeded to counseling (which was awesome!), followed by grocery shopping, and lunch at Subway with my 17-year-old…so far, so good.
Then, in the afternoon, one of my close friends came in from out of town to help me paint my daughter’s room. My friend is the BEST. If any room in my house shows even a hint of intentional design, it is almost always because of her. (The house is NOT my thing. I’d rather live outside in a tent. No, really, I would!)
Not only was my friend in from out out town, but so was my sister, and she graciously agreed to take all of my younger kids as well as my friend’s son roller skating, leaving my friend and I to finish the project and enjoy some “girl time”.
My friend and I, or rather my friend (she rarely relinquishes a brush to me) finished painting in record time, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner of chicken salad and breadsticks that I had prepared (that’s the deal, you see…she paints, I cook).
After dinner my friend got a phone call, and I found myself wandering aimlessly around my eerily quiet house. I got to thinking about the fact that I hadn’t gotten a letter from my husband yet, and I became sad. Then I remembered that no one had gotten the mail, so I went across the street to the post office, hoping and praying that there would be a letter from my husband…and there was! I was so excited that I didn’t even wait to get home to read it; I read it right there in the post office.
I returned home happier and lighter, and my friend and I went out to rent a chick flick and buy junk food. The junk food was great, but the movie, although cute, had a romantic subplot that put me in a little bit of a funk.
The kids got home just as the movie was ending and after we got them all settled for bed, I decided to check my email. BIG MISTAKE! There were two messages from my misguided in-law, the first of which was so mean-spirited that I ended up in my bathroom bawling my eyes out as quietly as possible so as not to disturb anyone. The second email was an apology, but the damage was already done, and I crawled into bed wearing my husband’s t-shirt feeling completely forlorn...
[...] started off innocently enough. I tried to put my mean-spirited in-law’s tirade behind me, but I was still feeling a bit melancholy. Then my friend went home and took her [...]
ReplyDeleteI think they have a 'block' ability on emails and phone calls for a reason. Clearly in this case the issue with boundaries is more a problem of the misguided in law and your version of a good boundary needs to include blocking them from admittance until they know how to act better. ;-) Oh.. rest assured we will all be praying for them to come to a better understanding, but in the mean time you have your hands full and you need to BLOCK THEM!
ReplyDeleteMisguided or maybe full of guilt? It may be they cannot accept what you do for your marriage, nor your husband...ever - but you and I and God along with many, many other enablers, and addicts know you are doing what is best - holding strong. When I walked away from the lifestyle over 30 years ago, I lost my best friend "because I wasn't fun anymore." I thank God that He intervened in my father's life because my dad had a daughter at the ripe old age of 14 who had been enabling him for years. Hang in there K - you are in my thoughts and prayers. SRae
ReplyDeleteThanks, Srae! I'm hanging...
ReplyDelete