The kindness of strangers

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My last post You did your best Jenna was emotion charged and difficult to put into words. It took all my courage to admit to truths I had been carrying inside for way too long. It left me feeling emotionally drained but also satisfied to have written about such a daunting topic.

I had no idea how other people would receive my outpouring. I suppose I hoped my family would want to tell me that they were proud of me.  I imagined each of them hugging me tight and telling me they understood I had coped in the best way I could.

But it was fellow bloggers who were able to eloquently express their understanding and acceptance of a fellow human being who needed reassurance about her life circumstances. They gave me kindness, words of encouragement and the feeling of acceptance I needed in order to move on with my life.

My eternal gratitude goes out to Carrie Lange, ckfus, lauriesnotes, Michele Anderson, spiritteacher, kristijojedlicki,  newbloggycat, Denise Hisey, Julie (aka cookie), Melissa, Village Girl, Chere Harbridge, starlarosa, brindanaidu and iamyourme who reached out and touched my heart with kindness; please know your words helped me overcome the difficulty of accepting and facing the truth.

I will be forever grateful to you for your kindness and pledge to pay it forward.

12 thoughts on “The kindness of strangers”

  1. I just found this AFTER reading and following your blog and you have NOTHING, absolutely nothing to hide, to be ashamed of,nothing negative at all. As Oprah once quoted ” you did your best at the time, when you knew better, you did better.” I love that line. It is so true, we have all done things that we are not proud of or would have handled differently but bless you. You have done nothing wrong. Thank you for allowing us in to read about your life. Forgiving yourself completely, 100 percent is the only thing you need to do. . Laurie

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  2. Raw, honest and vulnerable…loved your story! It is actually scary though how much your ex-situation resembled one I survived! Thank God your son is healing!

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  4. Oh Jenna, you bring tears to my eyes. Please know that your experience is universal, I’m afraid. I too, have experienced the most support from total strangers. Why is it that the ones who supposedly love us most, support us least? I wish I knew. But maybe it helps to know you aren’t the only one living this painful paradox. That’s why i mostly suggest people join support groups. The kindness of strangers is often what helps us get through. Hugs to you, dear, I’m so glad I could give you some support! 😉

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  8. Thank you Jenna x I think all you Mummies are amazing x You really do teach about the ferocity of love and loving unconditionally x I can’t imagine the strength it took my mum to have to sit and watch me try to destroy myself knowing there was very little she could do and also wondering about her part in it x I don’t hold her accountable for anything (unfortunately/fortunately it was my journey) accept for being a constant source of love and forgiveness x she struggles to hear that from me though when she’s fighting her own demons x I believe it’s the journey we chose to go on together and it certainly was an expansive one for us x We really explored the emotional depths wrestled with hatred, guilt, shame, grief and fear but in the end the love between us was stronger than all the other emotions x

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  10. Jenna Dee, your post helped encourage me to be a bit braver in this season of regret I’m in. The blogging community is truly an incredible bunch…I’m constantly amazed at how much wisdom, acceptance, and connection I’ve found – on your blog as well as several others.
    So glad we’ve connected this way!

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  11. Jenna–I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life–especially when it’s come to being mom. I taught from the time of my son’s birth to the day he graduated high school—and continued on until just last year. I often lamented to many a principal that I was a better mom to my kids than I was to my own son—he always seemed to get my leftovers—leftovers of energy, leftovers of patience. I was never 100% at anything I ever seemed to do–always “half behind”, if you catch my drift.
    He has always struggled with learning disabilities which made school so very difficult, requiring lots of extra time on my part to help with everything from homework, to driving him everyday from our small community in west Georgia the hour plus to Atlanta everyday one full summer to a special school for kids with dyslexia just so he could learn to read….my patience was not always what I wished—I would get frustrated and very short with him.
    Our personalities are similar and we would always seem to butt heads a great deal. He is almost 25 now–he will soon graduate from college and is set to get married next year. I have so many regrets..when I look back–often beating myself up for not being the mom I wish I could have been. My husband always reassures me that I did the best I could…but I am proud of him–so very proud. He has persevered…and overcome a great deal.
    You did the best you could. You loved him. You loved him when he did things that broke your heart. You loved him when you had to let him go. The hardest thing on the heart is being a mother. Second guessing, regrets, heartache….it just seems to all go together.
    Nothing you did ever equated to being a bad mom or a “less than” mom—you never stopped loving him—he will know that, if he doesn’t already know it. Life requires often hard choices. The choices you made regarding your son were choices for the betterment of both you and him…and in the long run—blessings will abound.
    I wish I was there in Australia to actually sit down with you and share what I can’t cram in this little space—but please know that my heart reaches out to you—and that I assure you—the love you have for you son is strong—it was strong the day you first held him and it is as strong now as you hold him in the growing moments of healing and forgiveness.
    Blessings—julie

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