My son and I put up our Christmas tree yesterday. Yes, I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but I was in need of some Christmas spirit a little early this year. Logan didn’t seem to mind too much. As we were putting ornaments on the tree I happened upon an angel with a quote from Mother Teresa. It said, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle, I just wish He didn’t trust me so much!” I seem to remember my mother giving this ornament to me the year after my divorce. There have been … Continue reading →

Some days are just hard. When you are going through a divorce it seems most days are that way, at least for a little while. I’ve found that even after almost two years many days are still difficult. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself when you are in the midst of trials. You look up at the sky and wonder, why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? The truth is we all have trials. They are meant to make us strong. When you find yourself feeling down and wondering how you are going … Continue reading →

Depression is a clinical disorder in which the brain no longer produces the proper amount of serotonin. This can happen for a number of reasons and can last for invariable amounts of time. For some reason there often is a stigma associated with depression. I even once had a boy I was dating tell me there was no such thing. Another man I know told me to “build a bridge and get over it.” For someone suffering from depression these comments were both hurtful and completely untrue. I was dealing with something I literally had no control over. Hard as … Continue reading →

As single parents people often pass judgments and say unkind things about us. While I think this happens to everybody, we become more acutely aware of it as single parents. Our character is often called into question by people who don’t even know us and for no other reason than the fact that we are single. Our parenting is questioned, our lifestyle examined, and our decisions criticized by both people who know us and people who don’t time and time again. Over the last couple of months I have felt the heat of these judgments from people who once knew … Continue reading →

Most single parents experience some form of depression at one time or another throughout their parenting career. What may have begun as sadness may have developed into something far greater. There are times when extreme emotional trauma can throw your body into an extreme chemical imbalance. This isn’t your fault; it is your body’s response to the chaos going on around you. Depression is more than just a deep sadness at your situation. Most of us aren’t thrilled at our circumstances as a single parent, but when you are depressed you may feel consumed by that sadness. You may feel … Continue reading →

I am a firm believer that we were not sent to this Earth to be miserable. That doesn’t mean that we won’t go through hard times, but it is our job to find the light through the darkness that is placed before us. I never dreamed that I would find myself in the middle of a divorce at 21 years old. I was unwillingly thrust into single parenthood and I was devastated. I was convinced that I would never feel joy again. For a while I couldn’t pull myself out of it. It was all I could do to get … Continue reading →

A dear friend of mine is losing her battle with cancer. She is just 23 years old, she has the rest of her life ahead of her, but she is stuck living what little time she has left hooked up to a ventilator in the hospital. While she was struggling for her life I was sitting at home stressed out of my mind caring for a rambunctious three year old while trying to prepare for the following week of school. I was overwhelmed and feeling a little sorry for myself. This dear friend helped put things in perspective for me. … Continue reading →

When you are in the middle of a divorce you may feel as if you will never find peace again. Even though I knew without a doubt that my divorce was the right thing, my heart was still aching for what should have been. It was one of the darkest times in my life. I have never felt a pain so intense. I was afraid of what lay ahead for me and my son. It was a fear of the unknown. We had to start our lives all over again and I didn’t even know where to start. This was … Continue reading →

From the time I was little I always thought that if you worked hard, did your best, and were living right you’d be blessed and everything would just work out. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out life didn’t work this way. I had to learn the hard way that bad things happen to good people, and bad people often get away without any consequences. Life isn’t fair. When it comes down to it, you can be saying and doing all the right things, but sometimes other people’s choices affect your life and you have no control … Continue reading →