There Is Life After Divorce

Not too long ago, a friend of mine shared the pain of an unexpected divorce.  It had come as a complete shock to her.  She was unprepared for this event in her life and it took a long time for her to grow accustomed to her new status.  

Like with any divorce, her living standard plummeted.  She was forced to leave her home and move into a rental.  She was forced to have to take care of herself after twenty-two years of marriage.  It was a big adjustment.

There were times during this struggle when a blackness would cloud over her thinking and she would slip away into the darkness.  She believed that the darkness would never lift, however, slowly, and steadily, the black cloud dissipated.

At first it was barely noticeable and even if it was, nothing seemed to make a difference.  She could find no joy in her life now.  She would slip away into despair and there seemed nothing any of her friends or family could do about it.   We could see the changes coming, however, within her tunnel vision, she could not.

One day she arrived at my home with this childish grin on her face.  I realized that something had changed.  There was even a sparkle in her eyes.  She motioned for me to come outside.  As I walked around the corner of the house I suddenly realized why she was so excited.  

A raven-black Firebird convertible was sitting in my driveway.  She almost glowed with joy.  As she showed me her toy, I could see a new energy behind eyes that had once  been awash in despair.  

You see, she had thought she had lost everything in her life, including her identity. However, the untimely event could not break her spirit.  From within the blackness the Phoenix had risen again.  She had made contact with the real, true person that had been locked away inside.  She was learning who she was and embracing the inner child that so needed nurturing.

The Firebird convertible was a symbol of who that person was, and of the new life she was creating.  I knew she would be ok.  And as she drove off in a cloud of dust, top down, wind streaming out behind her, I knew I had seen the birth of a new life path and I was blessed to have been a part of it.

** Note **  When we are engulfed in the blackness of despair, we cannot see the light on the other side of the cloud.  Then, one day, the cloud disappears and the sun comes shining through, guiding us into our future. --Christine Bruun