Root Restoration

Since July of 2009 our little family has been on a long and bumpy road back to normalcy. What with moving, jobs ending, jobs beginning and trying to create a sense of home sweet home... I've been a bit overwhelmed and ill-equipped. There is a Martin Sexton song that I am and have been in love with for quite some time called Over My Head. Here is an excerpt to aptly describe how I've been feeling:

I'm looking out into the ocean
This boy in a boat that I am
Through the haze I can catch a glimpse
Of the damage that's been done
Miles like minutes they pass as I row
And I count them in my head
Further and further I seem to go
From the home that I once made
Raise the anchor raise these tired hands
No direction and my pockets full of sand
I'm over my head

For the past smattering of months this became my mantra and my anthem. It took months for us to attempt to steer ourselves back on track. And the adjustment was incredibly difficult. The person who wore it the worst would have to have been Lily. It was impossible for her to understand why her little world was so topsy-turvy and her parents were not being the pillars of strength that she needed and expected them to be. At least that is how I see it and how I felt.

I am happy to say we've reached a culmination. A turning point bloomed from the crevasse of rock bottom. We had nowhere to go but up. Mark and I have recommitted to being the absolute best parents we can be to our darling daughter by focusing on the core values that brought us together as a couple in the first place.

If you are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about... GOOD for you. But, if you are aware of the troubles that I am pointing to then I hope you can take away this little morsel of wisdom that was so damned difficult for us to put into practice. If you are having trouble in your marriage and truly want to make it better... look at that person the way you did the day you got married. Even more fitting for us, the day you had your first (second, third...) child. Address them in that manner. Fight with them if you must, but from me to you, if you use this mechanism during those fights you'll be a lot better off and spare yourself and the one you chose (that's right it was a choice) to spend your life with a lot of heartache.