There's a History behind my new Avatar so I thought I would share it with y'all since it's not a painful subject for me anymore. I was married to my ex for almost 23 years. He was emotionally, verbally, and at times physically abusive. But he also gave me two of my beautiful daughters so I will always love him as the father of those two daughters. However I hated him for his abusive ways and when I walked away from that marriage it was one of the most important days of my life. When your own daughters tell you to divorce their dad because he doesn't treat you the way a husband should...you know you have stayed to long. My new Avatar is the picture of me at my youngest daughter's wedding almost 5 years ago..after having been divorced from her dad for awhile. If anyone would have seen any pictures of me during the time with him except for the times I had birthed my two daughters...they would have seen a very unhappy and stressed woman who looked so much older than her years. At my youngest daughter's wedding I was not only well on my way to God's healing but also had let my hair grow longer and there was so much less stress in my life...that it well showed not only on me...but in the pictures I took too. My ex had managed to turn all his siblings against me when I left him too...so it was a surprise to both me and them when they came to our youngest daughter's wedding and instead of my daughter being the center of their attention....I found myself being their center of attention. Their gossiping about me was so obvious that I finally had to go up to the main gossip and tell her that this was my daughter's wedding and could they please keep their minds and thoughts on that...instead of me. It was a triumpant moment and a cherished memory I will keep in my heart forever. For I did nothing for vengence...but it was clear my God kept His promise in this.
One time a very good friend told me that one of the things she liked most about me is that I didn't know how pretty I really was and so never acted conceited, etc. I didn't understand because I only hoped my heart was beautiful to the God I loved. Growing up a tomboy outside beauty just wasn't that important to me and I hardly ever wore makeup or tried to "enhance" anything about my outer appearance. But I have learned that when one is happy and at peace in her heart...that inner beauty often shines in her outer appearance too...and on my youngest daugher's wedding day I was really happy to see beauty shine through both of us.
@Babs Hunt Thank you for sharing such personal information with us. You will feel better for doing so. Believe me, I know. Frank
@Tim Burr Tim, a bunch of these folks knew me (and likely disliked, or even hated) me, from that previous Senior Forum, which I'm not aware of your own participation in. Several know more about me than I know about myself! Appreciate your input. Frank
I'm sorry @Frank Sanoica. I was responding to @Babs Hunt post, should have been more clear. I have never been on any other senior forum or wish to be.
That is a beautiful picture of you and your daughter, @Babs Hunt ! ! Thank you for sharing both the picture and the story with us. It is interesting how some of us found the perfect spouse early in their life (like @Ina I. Wonder did) and some of us have gone through more than one marriage before finding the perfect soulmate. I was almost 58 when Bobby and I got married, and at that point, I had felt that I was probably better off living single, since I had had two bad marriages at that time. Bobby had just about the same thoughts about finding love; but amazingly, we found each other back in 2001, and were married a few months later. This Saturday will be our 16th Anniversary, thus my new avatar, and we hope to still have many more years together.
Congratulations @Yvonne Smith and @Bobby Cole. Both of you have earned it. I love the romantic thought of the two of you wrapped in the warmth of your union. Sometimes I think we go through, “hell on earth”, before we are able see the right person meant for us. All of us went through that hell before we found who was right for each of us. @Babs Hunt’s first marriage of over 23 years with an abusive man, Yvonne’s two abusive marriages, Bobby as well, and I went through abusive parents, being forced into becoming a child bride of an abusive older man, an even my marriage’s first ten years to Michael was fraught with some really bad potholes. I believe that each of us makes an individual plan with our Creator before we are born to this earth, about what is needed from living this stage of our journey with him. Whether or not we grew up in good families, or were taught good morals or not doesn’t matter, we will find ourselves or put ourselves into the living conditions to accomplish the end goal of our individual plan with our Creator. Some give up, and let the whatever issues consume them, and they leave this journey broken, not to be healed until after their journey. But those that do not give up, and have the faith to struggle on, can find a good portion of happiness during this journey, as well as after. That my friends is how I understand our Creator. That is why I like to see such success as stories as Babs, Yvonne and Bobby’s, Ken’s, Patsy’s, Holly’s, Chrissy’s and her Michael, and all the others here. To me it means our future generations will follow these step’s as well. Congrat’s to all my friends.
Some people are just jerks. I swear they can't help themselves. If they can't shoot off their mouths about others and stir the you know what, they can't be happy. Beautiful picture of both you and your daughter. You are both extraordinarily beautiful women.