Time For Serenity

Stick Your Neck Out and Face the Holidays as an ACOD!! When parents divorce in our adulthood, holidays change. Read my post called The Holiday to gain some help and hope for this challenging time of year. http://acodtimeforserenity.blogspot.com/2012/04/holiday.html#!/2012/04/holiday.html Take out a piece of paper and every time you think of something that is GOOD in your life, write it down. Although adult children of divorce have pain and loss, focusing on our blessings helps keep our perspective in balance. I am thankful for those who read, comment and email and help me not feel alone in this journey as an ACOD!!!

The Serenity Prayer for Adult Children of Divorce God grant us adult children of divorce the serenity to accept that things won't be the same in our families; courage to change things for the best when we can; and wisdom to know what is up to us, and what isn't. Living one day at a time; and handling one situation that arises at a time; Enjoying good past memories and enjoying each present moment as much as we are able, as we ultimately look to the future. Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace ; Trying to live as He did in this sinful world, accepting it as it is and not as we wish it were. Trusting that He will make all things right in our inner spirits and in the last chapter of our story, if we surrender to His Will; That we may be reasonably content in this life and supremely whole and in communion with God forever in the next. Amen. ( taken from The Pathway post on Time For Serenity blog)

My story has nothing to do with being an adult child of divorce .  It has everything to do with real fear.   Riding a roller coaster in the dark in one of the front seats pushed me over the edge.  Not literally,  but figuratively.  Although I was in my early twenties, I came off the "fun ride" and sat on a bench where a few elderly people were sitting.  They were probably experiencing physical reactions to being flung through the air wildly and quickly.  But I was experiencing psychological fear. And I was crying.  As embarrassing as it was, I could not control my reaction .  I was truly afraid. What is fun for one person in an amusement park may not be fun for another person. And as an ACOD, I don't mean to imply that any of it is fun for any of us.  But we all experience varying reactions that are common to all and some that are as different as we and our stories are! Fear shows up in different arenas for the adult chil...

Adult Children of Divorce blog or follow a blog for many reasons.  And most of you reading this probably know what a blog is, but those of you who don't,  it is a informal site that is a web log of sorts. A blog is an online journal which is updated with words of knowledge and experience for the world to read and respond to.  Blogs offer comment areas where readers can interact with the writer of the blog and with others who are reading the blog. A blog is a great tool for many topics, and it is a helpful resource for Adult Children of Divorce, no matter which stage we find ourselves in!!! After several months of digesting the news of my parents'  divorce after 45 years of marriage, I looked for help in any form as I sorted through so many emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental issues.  Books , and websites were few, although the ability to read about what I was going through was a tremendous lifeline.  A Divorce Care support group and...

  As you carry the burdens that come with being an adult child of divorce, think about other "boxes" and burdens that you can get rid of to lighten the load.  And don't forget to cast your cares upon God, for he cares for you!!  1 Peter 5:7  The load is lightened when He is helping to carry it!!!

Dear Schwarzenegger Children, True identity, the failure of memory, and total recall are themes of one of the movies your father was in, and I would imagine it is a theme you are dealing with as you try to figure out the truth and the lies in your family story. I have been there too. By nature of being children of a celebrity, politician, actor, and a man with an unbelievable personal life story,   the issues surrounding your parent’s marriage are so very public.   There are others like you, who are adults, or soon to be adults, whose parents are divorcing amidst difficult real-life drama.   You are not alone. Our situations just are not so well known to the world. Your family name is so very recognizable, but even for those of us whose names are not, there is a sense of uneasiness now when someone asks our family name, which in my case is my maiden name.   I wonder if they know my father and what he did to contribute to my family’s breakdown.   ...

A prayer of perspective for Adult Children of Divorce: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr