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Subject: |
My Blessed Life |
| Date: |
2009-09-28
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My Blessed Life
Dear Dr. Laura,
When my husband and I got married we videotaped the mass. On our anniversary we watch it and listen to the vows we took. The vows mean so much more now after 17 years of marriage. I guess you could say we have our share of challenges and blessings. There is one part when the Priest says "you will have to forgive each other for the unforgivable 70 times 70", "you will notice that men and woman are different", "it isn't always about happiness" and of course "for better or worse".
In a nut shell we have survived cancer, depression lose of jobs, miscarriages, financial ruin, extreme weight gain and more. We also have grown from each experience. We have two wonderful children and we made sacrifices so I could stay home and raise them. I gave up my fun, six figures, successful job that made me feel like a rock star so I could raise my children to feel better than a rock star and fill them with confidence and loved. I was blessed to stay home with them for 12 years. When my husband hit some bumps in the road I honor my vows to assist him for better or worse and I took a job beneath my abilities so I could work the 5:00 Am to 2:00 PM shift. This allowed me to be there to pick up my children from school. This is when my most important job starts where I continue to love and raise my children. One of the hardest things for us was to accept help from family and friends. This is a humbling experience because we were the ones who were known to give to others rather then the ones to receive. My husband is now working two jobs to provide for our family and yes I still work the 5:00 AM shift. We are doing this with happy hearts and we often tell our children this is what a loving supporting family does when times get tough. We make it work with happy hearts. I don't recall our vows saying we will stay together only when it is fun and easy. I don't recall our vows saying quit when it is frustrating and no longer easy, happy or beautiful. I believe this is the true measure of a person's character and their commitment to family and a marriage.
The greatest moments were when my daughter went to blow out the candles on her 9th birthday cake and we all yelled make a wish and her reply was " Mommy, I don't have a wish - I love my life the way it is". And the time my oldest daughter, saved up her money to contribute half the cost of her sports equipment, and I said to her "Honey, I wish I could write a check to cover the whole cost to get you the equipment you need" and her response was, "No Mommy. I appreciate the part you did pay for and I feel good about saving and contributing towards my passion". This brought tears of happiness to my eyes and I realized that amidst the troubled times and frustration we have experienced, my husband and I did what was important and necessary to honor our commitment to one another and to the greater good for our children.
We appreciate you being a daily advocate for the importance of morality.
J.
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