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A NOTE FROM SHARON
Divorce was excruciating pain. It was something that happened to others, not to people like me. Yet happen it did, and I had to learn to pick up the pieces and go on.
You can, too. It is my deep privilege to be able to help you.
In those early days when people tried to comfort me, some would say, "You know, God is going to use this to help others some day." I would reply, bitterly (and yes, I meant it), "That's wonderful. I've prayed all my life I could be someone's bad example."
Who could know then, in the midst of my pain, that God was preparing me to lead the Divorce and Grief Recovery program for the Crystal Cathedral! And who could know then that it would be one of the most rewarding things I do? People walk into that room with the same pain on their faces I lived with for years, and they learn to laugh again. Only a good God could transform my bitterness into a song of praise and raise me to "comfort with the comfort wherein I have been comforted!" (II Corinthians 1:2, 3)
Who could know then that Jeff would some day work for the Regional Center, the organization that gave me such hope, helping other families of handicapped children? God works in a mysteriously wonderful way!
In the aftermath of my loss, I couldn't buy a job. Teachers were in oversupply. I complained to God as I sought employment elsewhere, telling Him He was doing a pretty lousy job of meeting my needs. Who could imagine then that the job He would lead me to would become a nationally acclaimed staff development program, helping high-risk youth graduate from high school and go to college? Only a good God could transform my pain and complaining into hope for someone else!
The Bible teaches that God will "make up...for the years that the locusts have eaten." (Joel 2:25). It took years, but I managed to pay off the bills brought on by Jerry's alcoholism. I eventually bought another home. Jeff and I have seen all 50 states together. My job allowed me to travel to a few foreign countries. On the whole, my life has been blessed.
A few years ago, a charming widower walked into the Divorce and Grief Recovery program. I noticed him immediately, but I knew enough about grief to know he needed time to heal. He attended the 14-week program twice, over a period of one year. Then he became a facilitator, attempting to help others who were grieving. We became friends. One evening he asked me to join him for coffee...and the rest, as they say, is history!
After over 20 years of being single, I married Milton Lockett. I don't know why it took God so long to prepare me for Milt, but he was worth waiting for. We have reached a place in life where we do not take life or love for granted. We cherish each day God grants us life as husband and wife. We continue to work together in the divorce and grief recovery program.
A NOTE FROM DICK
The divorce experience was the loneliest, most painful, and saddest period in my life. But I found a new way of living when I reached out and found help in Divorce Recovery.
RESOURCES
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