THE RING

Finally Did It

First it was the furniture we shared, then the house we picked out together, now finally the ring!  I've been promising myself a trip to Diamonds Direct Southpark to have my old wedding ring redesigned.  My reasons for keeping it this long were equal parts sentimental and financial.  I'd sold most of the other jewelry my ex purchased for me, but the engagement ring and diamond ring wrap were the only pieces that had any real value. 

It didn't feel right to wear them yet keeping them made it seem like I was holding onto the past.  I came across them while packing my house.  Though I had a million other things to do to get ready for the move, I decided it was finally time to take action on the last reminder of the "til divorce do us part" chapter of my life.

The result? A beautiful ring that celebrates the twists, turns, trials and triumphs I've faced so far.  It represents how far I've come and how far I can go.  I'm thankful for it and for the lessons I learned during my marriage.  I'm even thankful for my ex and grateful for the courage and support that helped me move on.

I just can't stop staring at the ring... or thinking about the possibilities.  We're not bound by what we used to have or who we used to be.  There is life beyond loss and I'm here to tell you it can SPARKLE!!!!!!

Do As I Say

Funny how I find myself giving advice that I should be taking.  "Get some rest."  "Don't worry."  "Take some time for yourself." 
Sometimes listening to ourselves is the best thing we can do. 

Coincidence? No Way!

Had a NASTY encounter with a dude who works at the front desk of the extended stay hotel my mom, dog and I are living in until we get another house.  Frankly, I should've moved to another suite, but after packing the house and lugging our must-have junk here, my back is hurting more than my pride (only Jesus and a tiny fear of a lawsuit are keeping me from naming the place).  The luxury stay I was expecting has been drenched in frustration (mine) and fear (mom's).  Don't get me wrong, I know there are FAR worse places we could be.  Heck, we've LIVED in worse places, but still we're feeling very unsettled. 

I went to church, just excited to get away from the room.  They aren't holding us hostage, but we've been informed (in this "pet-friendly" establishment) that the dog barks when we aren't around and that's not acceptable.  Most restaurants, stores and attractions simply aren't dog friendly and its been waaaay too hot to just hang at the park, so...  I was REALLY looking forward to church.  As soon as I looked at the bulletin and found out the pastor was out the disappointment hit.  I sighed and thought, "Oh no!  We've got a guest minister!  She probably won't be as good as the pastor!"  Well, Dr. Cassandra Jones, I publicly apologize for my misguided thoughts.  You blew me away!  Her sermon was all about going from "worry to worship" and it focused on the time she spent living in an extended stay hotel.  Her lengthy stay felt like exile, until she realized her tiny room was her sanctuary.  It was a place where her faith was tested and blossomed.  If ever there was a message meant for ME this was it. Coincidence?  NO WAY!

It's day 10 of the Suite Life of Mona and Wheezy.  Instead of worrying about closing on the new home, coordinating the move into the new home, fixing up the new home...   I'm going to spend a little time in prayer for the folks in this city and around the world who can only dream of staying in a place like this.  I'm going to talk to my pals at A Child's Place to find out what the homeless kids still need for the upcoming school year. and I'm going to try to fall asleep before Wheezy so that I'll be in la-la land before she starts snoring.

In Good Time

I'd read somewhere that if you write down 9 things you want to happen in your life every single day for 30 days, you'll notice those things start to happen.  For about 60 days I wrote, "sell my house for profit."  Well, after 2 years on the market my house did sell, but at a major loss. 

While relieved I was unloading a huge financial burden, I wasn't exactly thrilled at first when people congratulated me on finally finding a buyer.  Taking a big check to closing to pay off the banks and realtor just didn't seem like much of a victory until I started signing my name, not my current name, my old married name.

I haven't used that name in 6 years.  When I purchased the South Carolina home I was a few weeks away from finalizing my divorce.  It dawned on me that the house was the last thing in my life that somehow tied me to my ex.  We'd picked out the house together, bickered over whether we should have a basement....  I moved into it counting the days until I could sell it. 

When the economy took a nose dive and selling the house turned into the impossible dream, I prayed God would help me get my money out of that property.  That wasn't the plan and silly me, that's not how God works.  If the house had sold two years ago, my Indianapolis property issues would still be haunting me.  If it sold two years ago I wouldn't be getting such an amazingly low interest rate (thank you Dover Mortgage).  I would've wound up paying big bucks for a builder to help me make some of the same mistakes I'd made before.  Now everything I thought I lost in getting rid of the mega-house, I'm gaining in the cute little Cape Cod I'm buying in North Carolina. 

Thanks God for giving me time to learn a few more lessons. 

A few days to play and pray at Wrightsville Beach