My heart breaks every day
When I awake and remember
That I am here…
And you are gone.
~ Linda, February 2016
My little family spent last Sunday in a theater watching a movie we have looked forward to seeing for months. It was a favorite when it came out in cartoon form many years ago, and now Disney has brought it to life – Beauty and the Beast. We loved it then… and we love it now!
I grew up loving fairy tales with their “happily ever after” endings. My Mom always took us to the theater downtown to see every Disney movie, from Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty to Snow White. We also had a huge red book of Fairy Tales (that I still have) which I read over and over until I had memorized every story.
As a consequence, I grew up believing that “wishes really do come true,” and the idea of falling in love and living “happily ever after” was just as real as the house I lived in and the swing set I played on… (Naive, I know.)
However, I learned pretty quickly that life isn’t always a fairy tale… My dreams came to a screeching halt in my first marriage. Even though the violence and shame started almost immediately, I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to believe that if I could love him enough, he could love me… He could love us… It took twenty years for me to face reality. There would be no “happily ever after” for us… I had children to protect… I had to leave.
It took three years, before the divorce was final… But despite the odds being against us, the courts recognized the abuse and took away his parental rights – my children were protected… A miracle that is not often seen in small town, southern courts.
I won’t lie though… By this point, I was completely cynical about “love” and “happily ever after.” I was sure there was no such thing as love and definitely no “happily ever after” – I had been fed a lie, which I had bought hook, line and sinker… But no more…
Whenever I saw couples holding hands or snuggling I would shake my head. “Stop pretending! Stop being so ridiculous. Just have fun and live your life, but for goodness sake, be honest – There is no such thing as love,” I thought. And I took my own advice… I started having fun, living my life and being honest. Little did I know, I still had some more learning to do… I needed to learn that sometimes… just sometimes, Fairy Tales really do come true…
Our fairy tale started on a small sailing schooner in the Virgin Islands when a man named, Bruce and I sat down next to each other to fill out our cruise paperwork… Ten months later, I was moving to Michigan so we could live “happily ever after.”
But sadly, our “happily ever after” only lasted 8 years and 18 days…
In the movie, when the Beast dies, Belle cries… She tells him she loves him… She begs for one more chance… one more moment together… And… her wish is granted. The Beast is brought back to life as a human – healthy and strong and kind… And (we are led to believe) they live happily ever after…
And I cried… I love the story! I do believe in a love like that now… I believe in it, because I have lived it…
But, what made me cry was the awakening of feelings I had felt when Bruce passed… Holding him as he took his last breath… Doing everything I knew to bring him back… Watching as the Emergency Responders worked on his lifeless body… and feeling totally inept and helpless and alone… Begging God for a miracle… but not getting one.
I remember thinking God grants so many miracles for other people all the time, so why not this one? I couldn’t understand it, and to be honest, for the most part, I still don’t.
Why are you gone?
Why am I here?
Why does the world keep turning?
Why do I keep breathing?
Please come back… Please…
~Linda, March 2015
I understand that what makes a miracle a miracle is the fact that it is not the norm… but when you lose someone, that “fact” is quite irrelevant. All I could think about was why not now? Why is there no miracle for me? Why not a miracle for Bruce?… For us?
I have to admit, watching Belle get her miracle made me a little jealous. Yes, I am well aware it is a fairy tale… But feelings are feelings…
So, I spent this week, sorting those feelings out. Forcing myself to look for the blessings… the miracles God did give us, and remembering to be thankful for those…
The miracle of Bruce and I finding each other. We lived over a thousand miles apart. I was a school teacher, and he was a truck driver. The fact that we both ended up on the same small boat in the middle of the Caribbean was nothing short of a miracle.
The miracle of our love for each other. I have never felt so connected to and accepted by another person as I did with Bruce. He taught me that life is wonderful and love is real…
Bruce and I both learned Fairy Tales really do come true… And I think that may have been the best miracle of all.
I do not get to choose
What life throws my way.
My choice is “Can I love more today than yesterday,
Despite what has happened?”
~ Linda, November 2015
Grief is hard. Sometimes the most innocent things can trigger overwhelming feelings that cannot be ignored. Learning to navigate through those feelings is different for everyone. This week, I simply wanted to share some of those feelings – no great truths or answers… Just an honest look at what I felt and how I worked through it. Perhaps there is someone else out there who needs to hear this – someone dealing with the same things… Perhaps they might find the strength they need, as well.
Does any of this sound familiar? If you need a hand, let us know… we are here for you. If you have found a positive way through this, would you be willing to share your story or thoughts? To do so, go to the comments and leave a note. *
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