Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they have helped make me who I am today.  The relationship I have with my parents has had a large impact on my life.  They helped shape and mold me into the person I am today.  My mom and I have always been close and I used to share just about everything with her.  We aren’t as close as we once were, but I still need and want her to be a part of my life.  My parents have done so much for me and my children through the years.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them.  I recently ended a 21 year marriage and although things didn’t last, it was still a relationship that contributed to who I am today.  We were very close once and we tried to make things work.  We get along and can talk; we are still a family and always will be.  I am welcome at his family’s events and I usually attend.  I think we both loved each other and we probably still do, it is just in a different way now.  Some of the most important relationships I have today are the relationships I have with my children.  They are almost all grown up and I am very proud of who they are becoming.  During my divorce, they were all very supportive.  They let me do some leaning and crying on their shoulders.  I have very open relationships with my children and there is nothing that we can’t or don’t talk about together.  Another important relationship is with my ex-husband’s sister.  She has become my best friend and I really leaned on her during my divorce.  If it wasn’t for her, I think something awful may have happened to me, or I would have just fallen apart.  She has helped keep me together and I know that I support her as well.  She is a single mother of four small boys.  With each of the relationships I have been in, I have always felt that I have done most of the giving or making sure we stay in touch and in each others lives.  I realize the importance of friendship and I want to keep the few good friends I have.  Over time, I have faced challenges in maintaining relationships such as having other family members try to come between us.  I have had to work hard to not let that happen and spent a lot of time defending myself and proving that I am trustworthy.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the relationships I’ve had in my life.  Each person who has come into my life has had some sort of impact.  They have made a difference in who I have become.  From Sunday school teachers to teachers at school, they have helped in my development.  I am who I am because of who has touched my life.  I am currently beginning to date and I have met an awesome person that I am just getting to know and starting to build a new relationship that could turn into a partnership.  I think that is something I have missed.  Even with my ex-husband, it never really felt like a real partnership.  I’m not sure we were on the same page.  I have a better idea of what I am looking for and what I will expect and except in the next relationship!