image-by-Creative-Commons-Ninha-Morandini

I’m not sure what chapter I’m in but I hope it’s somewhere in the middle. The saggy middle. That’s the part of the story where we have to continue the suspense and rising action or we’ll get bored and abandon the book. How many chapters will our life even contain? While we don’t know the answer to this, an unknown ending is what keeps us moving forward.

image source creative commons

Maybe while we were married we could afford to let a little money ‘go missing’ or be ‘stolen’ from our wallet but things change when we get divorced. If you’re a single parent, you’re likely on a budget or at the very least cognizant of where your pennies are going. Maybe you just want to tighten up your

Memory sketch of the back view of our old home

On facebook the other day, a divorced father and friend of mine (from one of the first divorce support groups I belonged to) posted an interesting set of photos. The status update read “went to see the old house today with the kids. We peeked inside the windows and went in the backyard. I planted that tree and look how big it is now.” He had some of his old photos mixed in with photos he took of the kids beside the tree today. I thought it was really great how he had images of 10 years ago and today, how the kids and trees had grown. Bitter-sweet, I think.

It got me thinking about my recent view of my old marital home, where my babies were born. I didn’t get to walk around and peek in windows. My view was a virtual one. I couldn’t see the back of the house but this sketch is from memory. It’s obvious I’m not an architect 😉 I must practice my sketching skills but I digress.

“Lisa, you’ve changed.” he said. I wanted to answer;

“Yes, you’ve changed me.” Instead, I simply stared and waited for him to finish his point, which he did not.

I won’t say who said it or when. I will say that it’s been said by more than one person. I will also say that it’s true. I have changed. Since when? I’m not sure…but I have changed. Here’s the thing, I’m a human being. I’m not an inanimate object. If I’m not changing then I must be dead.

It’s okay to change isn’t it?

pin up girl Hilda by Duane Bryers

Say what? I know it’s the middle of summer and if you’re like me, you’re still shy about frolicking in your bikini. Last weekend on a hot sunny July afternoon, my Beau and I were sitting at the beach before we went out to dinner. We weren’t dressed to swim or frolic that afternoon but we sure enjoyed watching everyone else do so. I got the most pleasant surprise of the summer right there on the beach. It’s not what you think…

photo by Mary Schonnen

One of my favorite summer posts I’ve updated from the archives. Summer inspiration.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…your daddy’s rich and your mamma’s good lookin’..”

That old Gershwin jazz tune always plays through my mind in June.

Summer is upon us and we’ve waited patiently for it to come! We even travel great distances at great expense during the winter months to get a taste of this season in some other exotic locale.  But now we have it, right outside our own

I was recently told “You are very much a daughter of destiny.”

It’s an interesting statement. It begs the question; Are our experiences and life-events destined or are they a result of our own decisions?

image source pinterest

Isn’t it true that we have to go through something to really understand it? We can plan and have opinions about something but until it happens to us we don’t grasp the full concept. Divorce is no different. I guess it’s a little like death of a loved one. Again, it’s something we have to go through, get to the other side before we understand it.

image source; southern royalty blog

How are you? As I mentioned in my last post, I was away for a few weeks. My Beau and I had this trip planned for a while and we were really looking forward to it. The last extended holiday we had was in 2012, almost 4 years ago. So, it was time for a nice break and a real holiday. Of course, we go on short road trips periodically which are really fun. However, a short road trip isn’t a holiday in the true sense of the word because, well, you’re back all too soon.

image source Mobile9 on Pinterest

I haven’t actually written about the end of my divorce. I’ve written about the beginning and the middle in my book and here, on the blog. But I think the story of the end of a divorce can be just as interesting as the story of how it all began.

The end, for me was kind of surreal. The official process began before the fire and concluded three months later.  I tend to mark things that happened that year as before and after the fire. And yes, I refer to the end of my divorce as a process in and of itself because as much as we wish it would end already, the end has a beginning and a middle, too. Another thing about endings? They can be false.