I Received Some Good News...(From A Friend)

Over the weekend, I received some good news from a very close friend. He and his wife were also going through an estrangement with their college age daughter. He was in a text exchange with his daughter, and she asked if she could come by and visit with their cat, Luna, and see them while she was there. They promptly replied with a resounding, "YES!"

They are now traveling tomorrow to go see her, and take her to lunch. What wonderful news for them. I was so happy! It gave me a bit of hope. He was concerned about telling me, because of the estrangement with our adult daughter. He thought it might upset me. It didn't at all. I love them very much, and want to see them reconciled to each other. It is so good to know that one of us is getting things resolved. I pray God blesses their visit tomorrow. I can't wait to hear about it. This is wonderful news to get, while we are still waiting.

Good news is always in front of us, when we take the time to look for it. I am guilty of not taking the time I need to look around and find all the good that are in my life. I have three friends that are family to me. I am so very grateful. I have a son and a daughter who are very loving and kind. I have a husband who loves me. I have great students. I am almost ready for the Mrs. Tennessee America Pageant. I am thankful for all the support I have been getting. I have my dogs, and they are such a joy in my life. They make Nelson and I smile and laugh daily. Yes, there is good everywhere.

I am choosing daily to find something to say, "Thank you, Lord!" Keeping my mind occupied with taking care of myself, and focus on what I need to accomplish for the upcoming Mrs. Tennessee America Pageant, is what I need to be doing. It is a good distraction from all the junk that has gone on for so long. My studio, my students, practicing my music, working with my new Service Dog, filming more episodes of, "My Chattanooga," has to take the front seat. Highlighting Mental and Emotional Health is very important. It doesn't just affect me, it has an affect on every person on the planet. "My Chattanooga," speaks to this issue, and centers around the wonderful work that people in Chattanooga do to aid and lift up others to help with the Mental Health of this community.

Mental and Emotional health has affected me from the moment I was born. We all are flawed humans. It is time for all of us to take a deep look within ourselves, and stop the generational, habitual actions that influence us, our children, and then our grandchildren. It is my opinion, after much prayer and reflection, that this is one of the reasons that Nelson and I are estranged from our adult daughter. Complex PTSD is very difficult to navigate. Especially when you are trained, brainwashed, and gaslighted during your early years. All households have something. All households are dysfunctional in some way. I grew up with a daddy that did not realize his own mental and emotional damage, and the havoc he was wreaking on the rest of us. I had a wonderful daddy on one hand, very heroic and amazing. Then there was the dark side of him. The one that would yell and scream, call my mother names, and beat my brother and me. He taught us to be afraid.

There are many households like mine. Parents that pass on the negative things that they were taught. I would like to see a world that begins to change this narrative. The fear and anger that goes on around us comes from some of these issues. I know that these choices can be made. It takes a lot of work. I had to be willing to look inside of myself. I had to be, and continue to be willing to listen to my husband, my son, and my daughter when they need to share their pain, or their hurt with something I have done. I have cried an ocean of tears to make the change. Realizing that my own faults and failings have hurt my family, is devastating at times. It is necessary to be open to hearing hard things from others in order to change. This is probably the only path that Nelson and I have to walk, if we ever hope to have reconciliation with our estranged daughter. It doesn't mean we were terrible parents, or that we are terrible people. It just means that we are human, and carry with us things from our childhoods, and from our past, that have become a hindrance to our mental and emotional health. These things need to be recognized, and healed.

Healing takes time. It takes more time than any of us would like. We are not patient people, are we? I don't like to wait, I want it all resolved now. Don't you? Unfortunately, that is not going to occur. Nelson and I have to wait. Until the time comes, we will be happy for our friends. We are happy that their reconciliation has started. That is very good news.

Please remember you are loved and enough. Please comment below. Nelson and I would like to hear from you.

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