Parental Alienation

I’ve looked at this issue many times and have actually witnessed this when I worked with CASA and sadly since then in one of my grown children. There were many times, for the sake of my daughters and myself, I went to counselors with my ex. He was not emotionally mature enough to convince the …

Perfectly Flawed

Oxymoron...funny word. I recently read an article that spoke of wabi sabi. I had never heard of this however it intrigued me to the point that I did more reading and discovered that no matter the flaws, we are perfectly and wonderfully made. From the very beginning, I was judged on everything; my words, my …

A Precious Gift

My oldest daughter was 9 months old and I was feeling ill. I called my doctor and made an appointment. A few days later he called to tell me I was pregnant...again! I have to admit, at first, I was not happy, not because of the new baby but because of who the father was. …

Dolls from a Different Mother

Christmas 1993. We were living in Indio, Ca. Not much to say about the hot little desert town that we were forced to uproot and move to. It seems odd, that even in the midst of extreme DV, I was grateful I did not have to move as I lived in the same house for …

The Mirror and the Mayhem

We were living in an apartment. I had moved my childhood furniture there as we hardly had anything. It was a weekend morning and I was still in bed. I could hear him mumbling but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. As I began to sit up I realized he was sitting on …

Gone but not Forgotten…4/23/19

Eleven years ago today, my Dad passed away. And although he had been ill; in and out of the hospital for many years, I fully expected him to recover and go home, as all the times before. But this time was different. A couple of months prior, unbeknownst to me, he had checked himself into …

That Ah Ha Moment resulted in Oh No, but it took way too many years!

This is an excerpt from my memoir I'm currently working on...Keep in mind, this was prior to marrying the ex. I had discovered he was living in his car so I invited him to stay with me. Mistake #1. One day, while I was at work, my ex decided he would go through my things; …

Is There Such a Thing as Happily Ever After?

My goal was to share bits and pieces from my memoir about my life as a wife, mother and victim of DV however, I have spent the last nine days thinking that I'd rather take you on a journey of a kinder and gentler type. I met my current husband during a time of extreme …

Religiously Duped

My first ex went on to marry the woman he had an affair with and I, well, I walked right back into a lions’ den. Only this time, there were no drugs or alcohol to try and excuse the abusive behaviors. However, there were excuses. Ridiculous and lame as they were, they existed and were …

From the Frying Pan to the Fire

As I reflect back to the early days, after moving out of my childhood home, I know I made my decisions based on what I grew up with, what I knew, and what I thought I deserved. In November of 1983, I married my high school boyfriend. Mostly due to the urging of his parents …