Tuesday 9 February 2010

Family


9th February 1980

Life's never quite what we expect, is it? Thirty years ago today, I got married for the first time. I was not yet 20 years old. He was 27. We were truly in love, folks, truly in love.

I expected the marriage to last forever. It didn’t. At the time he left, he told me that it was because I didn’t do enough for his career. The truth was that at aged 40, he changed his mind about what was important to him. Marital & family obligations got in the way of work commitments, so he left.

I cried for 2 years. Then I got on with living my life again, not just breathing in and out. I raised the four kids, went to university, then went to Europe & finally went to live in another town where I met The dearly loved MOTH, some time later. The rest is a story for another day.

This long ago marriage was a failure, so why am I celebrating it here on the blog? For me, the most important thing in life is family. The marriage failed but friendship between us & our sense of family prevailed. The ex wasn’t emotionally around for most of my 30s nor early 40s, but, for him, somewhere in the early to mid-noughties, family life took front row again. It’s one of those scenarios where you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s really gone (kids grown up, wife married to someone else, everyone living 2000km away). All off-spring, no matter what age or stage need both parents. We made a great team as parents!


July 1991


June 2007

Family, warts and all, is always a fabulous reason to celebrate!

My simple advice is old wisdom:

Don't ever be afraid to try to make things better;
You might be surprised at the results.
Don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.

Happiness & laughter to one and all. I'm enjoying the beautiful flowers he sent this morning.

Felicity

7 comments:

Alberta said...

Felicity, you are a most gracious woman and first wife! Lucky MOTH to have you beside him today!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful family!
Congratulations on your success.
Gina

Anonymous said...

what a lovely photo ^^ and you're right Felicity, as Edith Piaf sang "Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien"
Only things we should ever regret are the things we don't find time to do.

Sharon said...

Beautiful family Bliss!

Chiloe said...

You are so wise. You may not know it but I always take something from our conversations ;-) thanks for that. ♥

omashee aka Barb said...

Hooray for you! Celebrate your beautiful family! Lucky Moth!

lynda said...

What a great post! And you have a lovely family! You are truly blessed.