Weeping Spirits....

I have been troubled recently by the thought of a loved one. A dear friend of many years confided in me that she has been verbally abused at home by her husband.

About all I could do was listen when she told me all she cared to divulge. She said she was reaching a "breaking point" after a number of years of marriage. Of course, there is a child involved, and the child has been affected by the turmoil in the home, as children in such environments always are. There is acting out through misbehavior in various ways.

Apparently, she has confided in a few friends after it became too much to bear alone.

She asked for my advice. All I could do was draw on my own life experience, as I am in no way a counselor of law or psychology.

I urged her to see a divorce attorney so that she could be advised of her options. Knowledge is power. I urged her to do exactly what the attorney tells her to do.

She said her husband had threatened to kill her if she tried to divorce him, and she said she is afraid of him.

I advised her to begin keeping a record of the abuses.

That was all I could do for this wonderful friend. That, and listen and pray---which I am doing.

At the end of the day, we all must decide for ourselves what kind of life we will live. I know that carving out a new life takes guts. I pray she can salvage the life she wants for her child and for herself.

The above painting is titled "Weeping Spirit", and was painted by my daughter, Debbie.