Women stand side by side looking into the sunset over the water.

When you leave an abusive ex, the rest of the world opens up for you

One of the women from our support group shared with us a beautiful attitude and idea I want to share with you. She use to live in a large comfortable home with her abusive ex but in ending her marriage, she has lost a lot of material possessions. (Sadly this is often true.) But this particular woman has an amazing attitude. She is focusing not on what she has lost but on what she has gained – her freedom. She is trying new things – tennis and volleyball to name a couple. She is going to the beach with friends and taking long walks in the park. She says, “I may be poor in material things but I feel rich in my mind and heart”. Added to this, she has come to think of public spaces as her space. She walks in a public garden and thinks, “God has given me this garden”. She swims in a public pool and thinks, “this is my pool”. She sits on the beach and thinks, “this is my backyard”. It is a lovely idea and it is true. When we live in a country with public spaces paid for by taxes, those public spaces are ours so why not get out and own them and enjoy them. I hope this blog inspires you to go claim some space that is yours and do something kind and renewing for yourself.

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4 Comments

  1. How lovely ….. We all should have this outlook on life …too much emphasis about happiness coming fom material things and that I so far from the truth.

  2. This is SO true! When I left my ex I felt scared and alone. After 18 years of mommyhood and little education, my forecast of “life is going to get tough” didn’t even come close to how tough it got!

    However, as soon as I left, friends and family who hadn’t seen me for years let me know they supported me. Strangers reached out in support and I learned that asking for help leads to getting help.

    In many ways I felt that God could do no more for me inside the relationship (I felt abandoned). BUT – as soon as I emerged into a world where God could give me what I needed, He did. I think we call that “tough love”. <3

    I had no money to speak of, then found a part-time job. I had no friends, then found my best friend ever at the part-time job. From there, I applied for and got a much better job working with high school dropouts (which I loved) and from there found the courage to step out on my own and create my own business.

    Step by step. Freedom is worth every worry. Freedom is worth the sacrifice of financial security. I love my freedom!

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