Catching Life's Curveballs

Life throws many curveballs in our paths. Even when we think we have it all together, and life is going according to plan, we can easily get knocked off course. Sometimes it never feels like we’re even on a path, but rather we’re on an unmarked path, scrambling through briars, falling down unexpected cliffs, or crawling up slippery slopes. I’ve been in both those places, but mostly I’ve felt like I was on an unmarked path that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. I’ve faced the death of my brother in 1988, and then my sister in 2005. I celebrated the birth of my oldest son in 2004, and my younger son in 2006. I chose to separate from my husband at Christmas 2009, for the second and final time, ending years of intimate partner abuse. As a single parent, without much support from my ex, I worked through my children’s diagnoses of ADHD, Autism, and other issues. I homeschooled them through many difficult and lonely years. However, throughout those hard times, I discovered abilities, and developed skills which began to set me up for success, even though I didn’t realize it.