While reading this article I felt like it had been written just for me and my situation.
As a 'trailing spouse' we put our spouse's ambitions and dreams ahead of our own.
Then comes the children. We have disrupted their lives with dragging them half way across the world. Taking them away from family, friends, pets, familiar places, beloved bedrooms, schools ...etc etc etc...
We try our best to get them settled and happy. All the while placing ourselves at the bottom of the list.
Then comes the family back home. We are guilt ridden because we have taken the grandchildren away from them. We try our best to somehow include them in our lives.
We go to church and smile and pretend everything is just fine...but it's not. We walk around feeling like an intruder in our own bodies. We are not who we pretend to be. We are not happy and fine... we feel like we are slowly fading away...
At home we are grumpy and short tempered. We take this out on the kids...being the grumpy parent...
And who can we turn to...?
Our spouse...? They are to busy with the new job, and has probably had their fill of the 'whining'...
Our children...? We can not be seen to be anything other than a strong, 'got-it-all-together parent'...
Our parents...? They will just tell us to come home...
Our friends...? Not always that easy to find a friend in a foreign country you feel like you can confide in...
Our community...? They are back home...
God...? Many times we don't feel like talking to Him. We are still to angry with Him for leading us to this far away place from everyone and everything we love...
What to do...?
Please read this article...click on the link given below...comment, give your thoughts...
Put the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First! | Wendy Keller
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