A Mile in His Shoes

Parents are supposed to love and cherish their children. But no one tells the stories behind closed doors. This is the story of my fiancé and his many struggles. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Growing up, his childhood was not easy. A mother is supposed to show love and affection for her child. But instead, he endured a wrath like no other. Severe abuse at the hands of his mother. The slightest thing that he did wrong set her off. But his sister always claimed she was the victim. How does that work?

That’s because she never came to terms with her own inner demons. Parents are quick to say, “I do this because I love you”, or “this will hurt you more than it hurts me”. In his case, neither statement was true. No love, plenty of pain.

Fast forward. He joined the marine corp. Sense of peace, right? You would think so. Death is something that you are never prepared for. To see death or avoid being killed is a whole new experience.

Fast forward. He met a girl. They had 2 beautiful girls. After a while, she decides to cheat. What a dumb decision. He had his suspicions, and it turns out that he was right. It’s bad enough that you cheated but then you make a sex tape? Ho, how low can you go? Excuse my French.

She decided to run off and live her life. She left the girls with the woman that brought down that wrath on their father and that oh-so terribly victimized sister of his. Where was her thought process? Who knows. Being a parent is a full-time job. There are no days off, no breaks and no vacations. Somebody should have told her that.

This is the true story of a man with integrity and loyalty. No matter what has happened to him in his life, he remains standing. That’s hard for a lot of people to do, especially with his childhood and other experiences.

People view him as a role model in a sense. They come to him for advice and understanding. He has a unique perspective on life. He has significant knowledge of the way things operate in the world.

He has been taken for granted a lot in life, like most people, but he never cracks under pressure. He always finds the positive in a negative because he views a loss as an opportunity to grow.

The one big thing he desires: having a bond with his girls. This is a hard thing when your children have been conditioned to believe negative things about you. A parent is not a dollar sign; but he’s viewed as one. But he still has hope for the future. He hasn’t given up completely because he has a woman in his corner that refuses to give up on him. That woman is me. I didn’t write this story to make anyone sad or for attention. This is his personal truth. Everyone travels a different path in life.

His story began as a what did I do (a lack of understanding) into a what I can do (this is what I am capable of). No one asks for these childhood experiences he endured; but it happened. It didn’t break him down or break him as a person; it made him stronger. That’s what our life experiences are supposed to do.

I could go on for days but I’m going to end the story with a poem. I call it His Truth.

His Truth

I had a rough start, I lived to tell my story

My life experiences are in a different category

My dreams feel so real, but I know they are not

In my head, I make movies, quiet on set, the next scene is shot

My thoughts race sometimes, my mind cannot rest

My body is tired, but I sleep less

I just want to feel a sense of peace

I pray to the Good Lord for strength to put my mind at ease