I’ve mentioned before about this woman who jumped into my life last year when I told her I was going through a separation. She was immediately very protective and defensive of me and the kids.

I’ve since found out she was in a long term relationship, since high school, with someone who became progressively more abusive.

She told me her youngest was two when she fully realized who her husband was. Over the next ten years she moved utility bills into her name. Then she assumed responsibility for paying the mortgage. When the mortgage renewed, somehow she was able to renew it in just her name.

Once her youngest was 13, and her husband had no say where the child lived, she kicked him out. Her husband had nothing to prove that was actually his home at that point!

This woman recently told me “ you come to terms with it that this is a person who can cause harm to your family, because chaos, disorder, lack of stability, and financial hits are HARM. Then you ACT on that. Not on your feelings. My thoughts and feelings haven’t aligned in almost 15 years. You have to act on what’s real.”

I’m blown away by the mental strength some people have.