Today is a very special day for one of my closest friends.  Her marriage of 24 years ended & her divorce became final today.  As an advocate against divorce, what I’m about to say is the exact opposite, but I have to confess….I don’t know who’s happier, me or her.  Well….I know that answer, but you can tell I’m beyond stoked!   I’ve known & worked closely with her since October 2005.  She is naive is some ways, doesn’t attempt any of the things I do when it comes to DIY stuff, isn’t extremely internet savvy, reads daily devotions, but won’t attend church, wouldn’t stand up to talk to a crowd if her life depended on it, will procrastinate until I’m driven crazy & hates to veer out of her normal comfort zones.  She is, however, one of the kindest, sensitive, loyal, most committed mother, cat lover & human I know.

Before they married, husband had a child & baby mama drama.  Although her grandfather tried to warn her, she loved him & accepted his son. During the marriage, he was unfaithful & this produced another child & yes… another baby mama. My friend is precious & attempted to honor her wedding vows regardless of husband’s infidelity.  They had 2 kids of their own & oops…another one happened.  She worked 3 jobs during her pregnancy to provide for her family.  This is acceptable right?  I mean husband worked one job, paid all his money to baby mama’s for child support & expected to be completely taken care of with designer clothing, new vehicles, toys, etc.  Wait…I had a lapse of sanity for a moment, because in no lifetime is this acceptable.

When things became unbearable they separated.  [Enter humor] While living with his mother, husband got a taste of being responsible for himself. They attempted to reunite & make the marriage work so he moved back home. This is a great option if you’re not dating someone else in the process. During this time, he wrecked his truck & of course he got a brand new one.  She paid the note, so why not right?  It’s OK that she drove the hooptie with no A/C in Texas heat.  The kids are young, they’ll survive.  NOT!  Finally the day came.  July 2013 was the most memorable month for me ever.  Wait….this isn’t about me, but I was rejoicing believe me!

Friend began “going out” with a friend she’d known most of her life.  He had 3 baby mama’s, 7 kids & lived in a garage loft type room at his parents.  Before you judge that she obviously has a problem, stop.  In 20 years of mentoring single women/men, I’ve seen this cyclic behavior pattern a million times.  Remember when I described comfort zone above?  It was just a friend with a history of leaving broken hearts all over town & kids he’ll never contribute in raising.  For 6 years I used to read during my 45 minute lunch break.  I didn’t gossip with anyone, didn’t socialize or even sit in the dining room.  This was my time to invest in my mind through books.  Friend had a bestie that shared lunch with her.  Bestie left & now friend & I began to have lunch together.  I could have been extremely selfish, self-absorbed & genuinely not bothered by what was going on in her life.  Except…..she’s my friend.  I’ve heard every event that has taken place for the past 2 years.  I’ve heard every event that has taken place for the past 2 years.  I’ve heard every event….no this isn’t a typo.  I have literally heard events, repetitively, for the past 2 years.  If you know me, you know this rubs against every fiber of my being. Why did I listen?  She has no one to mentor her in relationships.  I am not the most sensitive, patient, polished, or kind person when it comes to advice sometimes, but I am thankful to say we have worked through many situations, other relationships & she is so much stronger because of it.  Yes it was an extreme sacrifice sometimes, but to see her today is like there is nothing better.  The reward is worth the investment.

My judgmental attitude overruled my best nature sometimes & I would call husband a parasite.  Then lifetime friend became a parasite too.  Having a 25 year background in nursing, I am familiar with what a parasite is. Not only what they are, but what havoc they can wreak on the lives of people or hosts.  While praying for her to have courage & emotional stability today to face the judge, I actually began entertaining what a parasite truly does.  I then had to look up the definition & description.  Looking at pictures grossed me out completely.  I can’t imagine enabling that type of behavior!  Here it is:

Parasite : a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others.

Parasitism is a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species,  where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.  Unlike predators,  parasites do not kill their host and will often live in or on their host for an extended period of time. Parasites show a high degree of  specialization, and reproduce  at a faster rate than their hosts. Parasites increase their fitness by exploiting hosts for resources necessary for their survival, e.g. food, water, heat, habitat, and transmission.

Parasitism can take the form of isolated  “cheating”  or exploitation among more generalized mutualistic  interactions. For example, broad classes of plants or fungi exchange carbon and nutrients in common mutualistic mycorrhizal relationships; however, some plant species known as myco-heterotrophs  “cheat” by taking carbon from a fungus rather than donating it.

Synonyms –  sycophant, toady, leech, sponge, hanger-on.

I was surprised at how this identifies to husband & lifetime friend.  How quaint that leech was my other descriptive word.  How many people do you know can be labeled as this?  How many people do you know who are drawn to these types of people?  Before we go further, please understand that co-dependent, manipulative, self-absorbed, ruthless, parasitic behavior patterns are not gender specific.

You can’t change what you tolerate & often we tolerate situations, husbands, wives, lovers, & friends just because we lack the courage to do anything else.  The best thing you can do for someone who lacks the confidence to walk away from these parasitic relationships is to be a friend.  Listen, offer advice & most of all validate their good qualities while constantly & continually building belief that they are much more valuable than this. Please, direct them to a community DivorceCare Group immediately.

Today is a new day in the life of my friend.  I know it wasn’t an easy path to follow, yet there is such a release & relief.  If you read this & think I’ve been stalking you because this is your story, please know there is hope & a cure for tolerating someone, a parasite,  who is literally sucking the life right out of you.

Blessings,

g

I disclosed in my last post we are doing a book study as a connect group at my church. Remember?? The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker. I’m even more fond of it knowing she’s an Austinite!! Texas Strong!!

For public acknowledgement & accountability purposes, I would like to list my food choices for our 7 day fast. I realize when I fast, I’m not supposed to announce it like a production, mope & groan over it & certainly not draw attention to myself. I follow discretion & the book itself goes into explicit detail concerning fasting.   It’s not about me!! I did, however, have to determine what this fast represents for me personally. There are 6 biblical choices for fasting–Mourning, Inquiry, Repentance, Preparation, Crisis & Worship. I determined, before I even knew the choices, this fast would help me prepare for the next level of commitment, leadership responsibilities & relationships. Also to worship my Daddy God whose thoughts & ways are stratospherically above mine!  Our food fast challenge meant we were to choose 7 foods & eat only those foods for 7 days. Yes 7. Dairy is a million, so my Greek yogurt would be out. Single ingredients only, except we can have whole grain breads. Well forget that Paleo bread I was going to make!! Here’s why! I had some much-needed & long-awaited dental work done forcing me to adhere to a texturally limited diet for a week. Most all of my choices to sustain me while on this limited menu would have been a fail. This would have posed a problem except…… Jen gave us a list of alternatives to follow. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy! I’m saying that now, but I’ll definitely have to write a survival post next week!!

On my desk today!

The alternatives are –>> eliminating 7 certain ingredients from your food choices; giving up 7 comfort foods; no fast or processed food;eating the simple diet of a country you are burdened for; eating the same thing breakfast, lunch & dinner for 7 days, eating from your pantry, fridge/freezer without purchasing anything for a week; reducing the amount of groceries you purchase in a week, etc. I’ve chosen a few from the alternative list.  First choice is that I’m giving up all pleasant foods.  Ice cream was a multi-meal choice after my dental procedure as it helped reduce swelling.  That’s my story & I’m sticking to it!  Must have worked, b/c I had no swelling!  Don’t think this is hard?  My first day back to work was our quarterly birthday party celebration.  Cupcakes, Fruit filled punch, etc.  Did you notice it’s a big day tomorrow?  Yes….Valentines Day & chocolate candy is floating around the building like butterflies migrating to South America.  This also means I can’t eat my Blueberry Belvita Breakfast Biscuits with whipped cream cheese.  OH &…..tonight begins our new DivorceCare Semester & my amazing co-leader is bringing one of my favorite snacks…..Target Scones!  Just this one choice will be a challenge.

My second choice is zero fast or processed foods.  You may know that only on rare occasions do I eat fast foods & am on an anti-processed food regime as a daily practice.  How can this be a fast then?  This means I can’t purchase a rotisserie chicken or eat any of my healthy, preservative free frozen meals.  I’m looking at them as my “fast food” choices. My co-workers & I are treating each other to lunch tomorrow at our favorite Vietnamese Pho Chau Restaurant. I don’t consider this fast food & instead of chowing down on my favorite seafood deluxe pho, I will eat broth & noodles only.   If I want anything, except a few choice frozen veggies, I have to cook it from scratch.  My time factor will prove this to be yet another challenge!

Third choice is to only eat what is already in my pantry, fridge or freezer. I remember my son, Bryce, would stand at the pantry & say, “There’s nothing to eat!”  I’m the mom who could prepare an entire feast from “nothing” & have leftovers to share!  That was when I purchased for a family.  I am an eat-to-live grocery shopper, not live-to-eat. Trust me……making sure I have things for grands to eat is a mental note!   I try to meal plan so I primarily purchase for that.  Meals may be averted if I eat with my kids, so I may have a few things in reserve, but there’s generally not an abundance. When I purchase fruit, I only buy for 3 days.  This guarantees my fruit isn’t ruined & trashed.   Another note……my last shopping trip was to prepare me for my texturally limited diet, so nothing on my regular list was included & my 3 days of bananas are long gone.  I have one lowly mango!  Remember the Paleo bread recipe I was so excited for?  Unless I have the ingredients in my pantry, that will not happen! In addition to only eating from my reserves or excess, I am not eating certain meats like the delicious nitrate & preservative free, uncured bacon or pecan smoked andouille sausage. It’s chicken & fish only!  My condiments will also be reduced & I should confess something.  I’m a real butter & mayo ‘holic.  Everything is better with tons of both.  Oh my geeeeeeeeeee!  What was I thinking?

Here’s the thing………..The 7 Experiment is to Stage Your Own Mutiny Against Excess!  Had I been able to choose 7 foods to eat, I would have had to purchase enough of them for 7 days without really any limit of how much.  I could have gone out to eat as long as the foods were on my list & the things in my pantry would be sitting there. So……I was forced to finally start drinking the Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness that has been in my fridge at home & at work for a month.  I’m forced to cook that fish I couldn’t pass up.  I’m forced to clean out my pantry.  I’m forced to eat those scrumptious green peas that I purchased to use as ice packs for my mouth! Yes…I do use the frozen veggies for that! Shopping from home & using what I already have ought to be interesting. Wait……isn’t this the reason for the book study?

I’ve heard some of my amazing council members already getting tired of chicken.  I have to eat mashed potatoes & other soft or liquid foods.  Yikes! Talk about getting tired!  It isn’t about my individual tolerance.  It’s about realizing how truly fortunate & blessed I am while learning how to pattern my life after this study.  I’m really grateful for this opportunity!

On the other hand……..I’m also glad I have Apple, my pup.  She eats all natural, preservative free canned dog food.  Her Sunday Brunch, Grandmas Casserole or Moms Turkey Dinner varieties may be tempting in 7 days!  LOLOLOL!

Blessings,

g

The majority of my employed life was spent working in the medical community receiving hourly wages.  I could work for my hospital, a staffing agency,  nursing strike or travel assignments, & Per Diem.  There were always ways to increase my income by trading my time for money. As a single parent,  I did it all.  It was exhausting, stressful & unpredictable.   I am now employed hourly, but there’s only one avenue of making money.  Granted I have zero stress compared to nursing, work only one job, & can pretty much predict my yearly schedule. This was a welcome change.

I work at the divisional level of a well known non-profit organization.  As you can guess, there have been decreases in government funding, donations, etc. which naturally creates challenges.  Each year we have performance reviews, but our raises aren’t based on this.  I used to get frustrated when we received a 4% raise. Then my friends began having their hours cut, placed on furlough, or even lost jobs. I’ve witnessed families suddenly have to learn how to live on one income — what every single parent has endured.  In a sense it’s heartbreaking & at the same time I must applaud my single friends who’ve continued to make tough choices.  This year we received a 2% raise. Funny how perspective changes & instead of frustration, I am thankful for a job.  I realize my faith is not in a J.O.B. & because of recent events, I know all too well I should never be 100% dependent on one.

It is sad that the majority of the people in our nation practices what our government just instituted. The splendid example of raising their debt ceiling by using credit. What was America about to do??? Default on debt? Yea, that makes perfect sense!!

I strongly encourage to do whatever it takes to act your wage, live within your means, get out debt, & develop alternate streams of income. Here are some simple examples to help:

• For one month save & record every receipt from every purchase.  Yes EVERY one!  Regardless of how small or even if it’s a vending machine purchase, write them down or save them.  At the end of the month, have an open mind, review those purchases  & determine what areas can be cut out.  One of my fav scriptures says, it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine!  My paraphrase of course, but you get the drift!
•  If you have single parent friends, schedule some time with them & observe what they practice to thrive while others can’t breathe.
• Participate in a financial class & learn how to reduce monthly expenses, pay off current debt & prepare for unforeseen circumstances.  My church offers Dave Ramsey’s course, Financial Peace University as a Connect Group.  I love hearing the stories of how marriages are restored, debt is eliminated & lives are completely changed by simply obtaining different information.
• Mentor with someone who is financially stable, allowing them to speak into your life concerning changes, & adhere to their advice.  Adhere is the key word!
• Teach your children to do the same.  This cyclic behavior pattern of debt has to stop. Changing a nation begins with individual families!
• Last, but most importantly, follow Biblical examples.  Prepare for a rainy day.  Joseph led the people to prepare in famine & minister to others.   The Hebrew children cast their bread (seeds) on the water that after many days it would come back to them.  What happened?  They wandered & when they came to a certain place there was grain waiting on them to harvest & make into bread.  Quite prophetic, but that happens when we prepare. Why shouldn’t we practice the same principles?

Perspective changes many things around us.   During one of the worst times in my life, I enrolled in a program offered by my workplace. I met bi-monthly with a case manager, attended monthly life skills classes & managed my financial affairs for the first time ever.  I had enrolled in computer school a few months earlier & during our career development course, I had to create a projected yearly budget. Until that time, I’d never created an actual budget.  I realize that can be embarrassing to admit, but I can because I’ve changed!  To date that program is still the most significant discipline I’ve practiced.  After that, I immersed myself in personal development & continued to make necessary changes in every area of my life.

What the enemy intends to destroy us, God will & does ultimately use for our good.  If you are frustrated, I pray you gain a different perspective.  When I changed my attitude, thinking, associations & expectations, things changed around me.

As everyone gears up for ritualistic New Years Resolutions, why not incorporate & practice slight edge principles that will actually resolve problems? Better yet, in doing so YOU can then mentor others!

Blessings,

g