Tag: divorce

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Clarity and Late Nights

The power of thought at night is clarity

Reality is here.

I know that in one of my past blogs, I mentioned being separated from my husband and willing to fight for our marriage. Well, things have changed. I was under the impression that both of us would be “working” towards repairing our marriage but, I was wrong.

It seems that he, the husband is not willing to put in the work, in this case, attend counseling sessions or even try to change some of his negative behaviors. Basically, I am aware that he would change temporarily but not permanently. And I need more than a season, I need life commitment.

There are many reasons a marriage may not last. Lack of communication and commitment are two major reasons. In addition to that, we need trust and loyalty. I had overlooked some of his toxic behaviors because I genuinely thought (fool that I am) that I would change them, that I could be the one to shine a light into him and help him become a better partner. Let me tell you, it does not work. You may be there to emotionally support your spouse day in and day out but nothing will truly change, all that will happen is that he/she will take more from you. In time, your own light diminishes, and your own goals get pushed to the back of your head.

This author has come to the sad and very real conclusion that, no matter how much one loves, or invests in a relationship, the other party has to be equally active in attempting to make things work.

A relationship is not made of one, its consists of two willing individuals trying to do right by each other.

If you are in a one-way relationship, you may want to re-evaluate your position and determine if it is healthy to stay where you are. Live life for you, not for your spouse. We will never change a person who does not want to change. That is the bottom line.

Til next time, do what is best for you. Do not harm others and be positive. 

MJ Jones

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Lil Money, Big Goals

Plan, Plan, Plan…

Long time no post. Yup, I’ve been missing in action. Too much going on, life has been busy. Im lying, I’ve been working like crazy. Too much. And it’s taken a toll on my mood and hobbies.

I’m not sure what your life looks like but let me tell you, mine has been crazy. And not only crazy but stressful. Ever since I became separated I’ve been focused on setting and achieving my goals. And now I feel overwhelmed. Extremely overwhelmed because I am trying to accomplish alot with very little.

My goals? Higher credit score, debt payoff and a better paying job. Oh yeah, and finish school. And all of this while keeping up with my bills and sanity.

Im currently debating whether I should invest on a resume writter. I feel like the chances of landing a better job rest on a good and updated resume. What do you think? Is it worth it?

I consider this an investment because it’s the only way I can justify such an expense. I am not joking when I say that I live by my budget. I’m not playing about my goals and so every penny counts. But Lord, it’s hard. Im sure I’m not the only one going through this so if you’re on a budget then you know how difficult it is to justify the expenditure of unplanned costs. It’s a pain.

Because of this stress, I have been focused on working and saving my money so as to be able to deal with unexpected costs (investments). And due to this, I’ve been away from my blog. Plus, I get tired of the random messages about follows/creepy requests so I kinda stayed away from the scene.

Tonight though, it felt like a night to type a few words together and let my mind speak for itself. My brain is overworked and tired. My body is tired, hell my soul is tired.

I don’t know where you are on your journey but let me say this: you got this, we got this. The trick is to remain focused and positive. While there’s alot to deal with, there’s still alot more to be thankful for. So just take a deep breath and get it done.

Til next time, stay safe and kind.

MJ Jones

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Before The Sun Rises. A thought.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

Good morning World!

I was unable to remain asleep til 6am and was up at 335am instead. But why? the world may never know, haha. Needless to say, I decided to get my butt out of bed and into the shower. I managed to exfoliate my body and feet, wash my hair and shave while taking deep breaths in an attempt to cleanse my soul and clear my mind. I sort of meditated while I showered. It felt glorious. The stillness of my home early in the morning is just soothing and encouraging at the same time.

I will be honest and admit that I have never been an early riser but after today, I just may begin a new routine so that I can enjoy the quietness all around me. No city sounds, no people mulling about or passing by, just a dark crisp morning. I feel that sometimes we take the effects of silence for granted. So much can be accomplished while intentionally paying attention to our body mood and mental needs. Praying is highly recommended.

I wonder what it is about humans sometimes needing the isolation and stillness of one’s own company? and more importantly, why is it that we deprive ourselves from it and seem to constantly seek to be around others? Over the years, I have learned to be by myself. I can go anywhere or stay home and enjoy my own company. Is this a skill? to know how to be alone? I am not sure but I truly believe that it has helped me navigate my current relationship status, I am not lonely. I am strong and capable of tending to my wants and needs on my own.

If you are a person that is always surrounded by people because you need to have people around you, I invite you to try a moment of solitude. Pray or meditate. Practice Yoga. Pick an activity to do own your own, love your own company. Learn to be independent and to value your time, especially when you are sharing it with others. Be inquisitive, be daring. Go hiking, go try a new restaurant or take a quick road trip to the next city to explore on your own. You’ll be surprised at the healing and peace that comes from loving one’s own presence.

With this I bid you Adieu and hope you have a positive and productive day!

MJ Jones

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When a Book Gets Too Close to Home

” We are the children left behind, We are survivors, We are the children of Divorce” -Mj Jones

I will begin by saying that I am blessed to have the option and opportunity to work from home. Because I work from home and not attached to a headset, I have the privilege of being able to listen to audiobooks. I have always loved books, from a young age I was destined to be a bookworm. Even after my parents divorce, I distinctly remember my daddy putting me to bed with a bedtime story. Back then, we had encyclopedias and ours was full of children stories (I’m giving away my age). It was moments like this that I have treasured and because of moments like this that I was never able to hate my father for living my mother, us, our family.

You might be wondering what am I getting at right? Well, the book I am currently listening to, speaks of divorce and the damage it does to children. It speaks of the sad situations in which children are often tossed into it, and how parents’ words affect and shape children and their minds. Our family was no different. Arguments happened. They happened for a while, until my dad got remarried and pretty much stopped seeing us (how odd right?). For many years, I resented my father and after long while, I forgot about him.

This book has revived some painful memories and brought out a little sadness out, I keep thinking of the ordeal that my younger brother, sister and I had to endure as children. There’s nothing I can do about those days but I can choose to move past it and look for the positivity in my childhood. The main character has been influenced by her mom to hate her father and to take on the divorce as if she was part of it, as if she and her mother were a package that her father got rid of. She fails to see that the divorce was not between her and her dad but her parents alone. And this is precisely why I feel triggered, I can recognize that although my parents divorce was not the most pleasant and they were not nice to each other, they never made us choose a side.

Fast forward to the present, in my life I can say I am glad that technology has come a long way and we know have plenty of ways to communicate. My father lives in a different country and with apps like Facebook and WhatsApp, talking to people far from us has never been easier. We no longer have to worry about long distance phone call charges (yes, I am this old). With technology facilitating communication, I decided to try and get close to my dad and perhaps mend our relationship. It has been a few years since we have started talking again and although at times it feels weird, we have made some progress. Today my parents are cordial to each other, perhaps it’s the fact that they have aged or that they are tired and no longer bitter about their divorce? No one really knows, I am just glad they are better now. Wisdom apparently does come with age.

The reason i wrote this post is to let others know that time heals all wounds, and although we can never get rid of the sad memories or change what was, we can choose to look at life with a positive eye and look for the hidden lessons amidst the pain. Hope you enjoyed my short post, thank you for reading.

MJ Jones

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Not Moving on Without a Fight

Deep down, I know I am not Alone

Good evening. Here we are , a new year ahead with new opportunities to better ourselves and our lives. I truly hope that your new year was rang with hope and joy. We made it out of 2020, and with the vaccines available we are sure moving in the right direction and out of this madness. It’s a beautiful night with perfect weather to reflect on one’s current life state.

As I sit here, listening to Amy Winehouse sing Me and Mr. Jones on the record player, I feel a bit emotional. Mostly because my estranged husband and I loved her music and because this particular album brings a lot of good memories. We would just cook breakfast or dinner together and eat out on the balcony while she sang in the background. Good times indeed. Now, here I am alone. On the cusp of divorce. What went wrong?

The truth is that there is no concrete answer to my question. We are both human and both have our flaws. It is impossible and unfair to place the blame on only one of us when in truth, our marriage was/is our job. And we are both failing at it. Perhaps, communication is the root of the issue. Perhaps, its our unwillingness to be completely open and honest with each other in an attempt to not step on eggshells. Whatever the reason, we are both responsible for our situation today.

The truth is that not only are we two different people but also have different issues to deal with, issues that I think go all the way back to childhood. I have a dislike of arguments due to childhood trauma. My parents divorced and never got along after that. His childhood was riddled with neglect and abuse. His way of dealing with things is arguing. In that we collide. No, he isn’t physically violent just a little loud.

But even with that flaw, I love him and will work on our relationship on my end. I am scheduled to begin therapy and hope he will do the same. Not marriage therapy, just therapy to heal ourselves. We have to re-learn positive behaviors in order to make this work and make this marriage stronger. I am glad, he and I can communicate now in a way we didn’t before. I believe this is progress.

Whichever way we are taken, we will always be able to say that we at least tried to fix it. I rely on prayer and meditation to help me get through the dark days now and the ones to come. I have also set up goals for myself to keep me busy and motivated. This separation is a temporary setback and as such, it shall pass. I will not dwell on it.

Hope you have a good night, We are at 59 degrees in Central Texas. Grab a cup of tea and hunker down with a good book or blog. Enjoy your blessings and be thankful.

Thank you for reading,

MJ Jones

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With or Without

Feeling broken after a marriage separation is ok

Well, last night was tough.

I literally had a breakdown while trying to wrap a few presents for my adult children. I was in a good mood or at least I thought so, little did I know that the gift wrapping and christmas music would be my undoing.

As I have mentioned before, my marriage is not doing well and its been a hard last few weeks. I am trying to stay positive and still can’t manage it. I love my husband and leaving our marriage was a hard decision but a necessary one. Our fights were becoming more frequent and over simple issues. I was feeling unappreciated and taken for granted. So I left.

However, this has been a tough pill to swallow. Even though I am aware that this change was needed it still hurts. And it hurts terribly. I do hope he seeks therapy, so that he can fix his issues and possibly fix our marriage.

We are blessed to be able to communicate and still spend time with each other with out fighting. There’s no animosity just pain, from both sides. I know he hurts for the loss of our marriage and hope he will find help and put the work into fixing himself while I do the same. We both need professional help.

Last night though, I felt so empty and almost like I was in mourning. I felt a huge sense of loss and despair. I was angry and feeling defeated because this situation was not what I had planned for, especially right before the holidays. I got in the shower and cried it out. I felt my heart breaking and physically hurting from the pain. I was a mess.

And thats another thing I have to acknowledge; my pain. It is ok to feel this bad after a marriage separation. No one gets married thinking that they will divorce. No one. So this is very hard to deal with, especially because I love him and I know he loves me.

So, we will try to get help and gets this mess sorted out but in the meantime I will allow myself to feel, to cry and to plan for tomorrow. With or without him. I pray my life makes a turn for the better and soon. Take care.

MJ Jones

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When Tomorrow Comes

Set up a plan and goals

Good evening. Another day working on my future.

If you read my previous blog then you know Im in the process of ending my marriage. Everyday has been hard, I feel like a zombie of sorts. Not the kind that eats humans but the kind that just walks around wondering the wilderness. I of course, dont live in the wilderness but you get the point. Needless to say, even though my life is currently upside down I am happy to announce that I may have found a new place of residence.

If you’ve ever been in my shoes then you know how awesome this truly is, because that’s one less thing to worry about: shelter. Next is to have a second job. Maybe a short part time to help me build up my savings before I dive into school again.

One thing that truly sucks is that all of this is happening right before the holidays. This is my favorite season and here I am now, at my parents and pulling my hair trying to figure out my next step every ten minutes.

In addition to this, I am hurt and emotionally unstable. Ending a marriage is not easy. I know my soon to be exhusband loves me and I him but living like cats and dogs is just not healthy. The good days were great but the bad days were very bad. And in time, I think the bad outweighed the good. It hurts terribly. I will not bash him here and say that Im happy, blah blah. I am not happy about it. It is debilitating and the pain weighs down my heart.

Walking away was not easy but I do think that staying would have eventually led us to hate each other and that I won’t have. I’d rather finish it in an amicable way. I want to be able to bump into him and say hello and be happy for him. And hope he feels the same towards me.

I hope tomorrow is better than today and I hope tomorrow helps me heal. I hope to set and achieve my goals. I hope for a better me in the future. And I hope for his happiness and health as well.

Good night. Take care.

Luv,

MJ Jones

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Marriage no Longer.

Photo by Jan Koetsier on Pexels.com

Good evening. Covid has really done a number on us huh? To some it has created chaos and to the rest of us, it has brought out hidden feelings and uncomfortable memories. It seems to me that this pandemic has brought us quarantine but it also has brought divorce.

True, divorce is hardly the worst that the pandemic has brought us but it still hurts. It seems that been in close proximity for extended periods of time with our loved ones has created issues. Tempers flare and for those of us that had already been struggling with “weathering the storm” or ” carefully avoiding arguments”, the close space has pushed us over the edge.

What I mean is, in my case my relationship was already fragile. Him with a hot temper, me with an over sensitive nature. At least, that’s what he said. Anyways, we finally had it out and we are done with trying to hold on to this marriage. My question is; Why does it hurt so? I know that this is the best thing for both of us but why is still aching? How exactly does one move on without wondering if the other is hurting? Should we care? These are just a few questions that I will be going over with my therapist. Yes, I will be hiring a therapist to help me untangle my emotions.

I have had therapy before, and ironically I began therapy then because of this relationship. Now, 10 years later here I am again. Should I have left long ago? Have I been holding to an impossible dream? Why did I hold on to it? I know I sound repetitive and lame but I cant help to wonder about my lack of common sense. Perhaps love takes over and one simply hopes that all the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. Not realizing that the puzzle may have been missing a few pieces from the get-go.

But there is light at the end of my tunnel because I know, deep down in my heart that I have goals to accomplish and that my life has to keep moving. Like a river that barely has water and yet, it manages to reach impossible places. I have to refocus on my own journey, on my career and on furthering my education. I am no spring chicken so time is of the essence. I don’t have to time to feel sorry for myself. My therapist will be in charge of making sure I am healing and staying focused on my own well being without me actually thinking about it. That’s the beauty of therapy. That’s how it works,

With this, I bid you good night. I can’t think of much more to write tonight. I have been making it from one day to the next on auto-pilot. And, if you are in a similar situation just know that life goes on and while our hearts hurt, we always have tomorrow to make things better. We are strong, we humans, Men and women hurt when a marriage is over so don’t be embarrassed to acknowledge your feelings, just don’t let them take over you. We are meant to be resilient so don’t you give up and don’t you sit there crying for days. Buck up, make a plan. Set up a few goals, and focus on making it one day at a time. Right now, its about you taking care of you.

Take care,

MJ Jones