A Day in The Life S1:E2

It came without warning. One day, while sitting at work, I received divorce papers from a sheriff deputy. "This can't be happening," I immediately thought. "And certainly, this can't be happening to me." I considered myself to be a pretty decent guy. I never got into trouble - as an adult. I tried to be mindful and respectful of others. I even went to church occasionally. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

You see, I expected something like this to happen to my friend Jeff. Jeff was always flirting with other women. Now, I never physically witnessed Jeff having an affair with another woman, but one could only imagine that based on what he did in public, there must have been more going on in private. Jeff had actually been married for two years longer than I had been. In fact, he stayed married three years longer than I was married, but his lifestyle eventually caught up with him - just like I always knew it would. But I didn't live like Jeff. I don't mean to sound so judgmental, because Jeff and I are still good friends to this day. I just couldn't understand what I had done so wrong that made me deserving of this experience.

I was there for both of my kids being born, unlike Jeff - and it wasn't for work reasons like he said. I played with my kids, spent time with them, was there for my wife, I was very supportive of her, I did right by her, I did my best for her, and this is what I get for it? Served divorce papers at work?

Here's what I learned, it doesn't matter how good of a person you are, anyone can get served divorce papers without any notice. Whether you are "deserving" of being divorced or not is not the question. The only question that exists is, "What are you going to do about it?"

Some people turn to violence, others alcohol and drugs, while yet others try to cope with it by running in and out of others' beds. Can I encourage you that none of these ways work? Sure, they may temporarily bring some sensation of personal gratification, but in the end, each of these ways leave you empty and more lonely than before.

For me, I found my solace in my family and friends and in my faith. I didn't realize just how strong of a support system I had around me until I absolutely needed them. It wasn't until I was in a desperate situation, with nowhere to go, that I turned to my supporters and my faith and began to experience real, lasting peace and comfort.

My hands were shaking as I signed the paperwork. It seemed as if all the breath had been taken out of my body as I sat there at my desk in dismay. "What am I going to do now? This has just gotten very real, very serious and it has done so really quickly." As if getting divorce papers from your wife isn't hard enough, I was about to find out that she was wanting to take away my involvement in my kids' lives. Things would get very dark before I would begin to see light again.

#savetheday