I got divorced…no, let me rephrase that I was divorced by the one and only man that, up to that point I had ever loved. The sad thing about it, not that all divorces aren’t sad, is that he went about it in such a cruel, cold and calculating way.

 He just withdrew… yes, there was another woman, although I never knew that until the very end. And you would never really have guessed it in a million years. He acted as though he was still in love with me. He made plans for the future and he loved me at least physically right up until the day that he walked out on me.

And there was no explanation, no apologies after over twenty years, he just walked out. I later learned that he told anyone who he thought would care that he never loved me at all, that he was just “pretending” playing a role as it were.

And it hurt, more than I could have ever fathomed. I was crushed beyond all comprehension. And then a beautiful thing happened. God showed me just how fortunate I was.

You see, I had been the kind of married person who totally devoted herself to her spouse, hands down, he had been my “everything”. But when he left and as I was feeling like my life was over….people embraced me. They literally came out of the woodwork to help me heal from this life changing event. And I learned that his love was not love at all, but a tainted version of what really caring for someone was all about.

Without him in my life I am suddenly aware of all of the other people in my life who truly LOVE me. My sons, my family, friends and church members. They all came around and enveloped me in their caring and I realized that I was not alone at all. And I am eternally grateful that he left, for if he had not, I would have never experienced what REAL love is all about.