Life Before the Storm
Last week my oldest son asked me to help him find pictures from his childhood for a school project. At first, I was sickened by the thought of digging up the old photos that I had hastily tucked away in the midst of pain. Family photos, birthday parties, holidays...a seemingly happy family now torn apart. As we started digging, it hit me that I can now separate the memories of the past from the pain. It was freeing for me to realize I've come this far. I can look at most of my photos (not counting any of them surrounding the affairs or the darkness of divorce.) Instead of a heaviness of a weighted down heart, I feel (mostly) tiny bubbles of joy. Those were memories from that life, and these are the memories from this one. The path ahead of me is so much clearer now that the fog of grief is gone. Life before the storm seemed so settled and safe. I thought I was happy with my big house and the pretty pool in the fancy neighborhood. We had plenty of space for entertaining,...