It was bound to happen.
And I totally understand. It’s part of the terrain of blogging, of writing about our personal lives and opening up our experiences to the world wide web.
A few readers have recently written and asked about 1 of 8 and the guy she dated for quite a while, a relationship chronicled on my blog through posts and photographs.
Sigh.
‘Cuz the deal is, the relationship ended a year ago. And in the experience of blogging, I wasn’t quite sure how to handle that, how to communicate that, in the resulting wake of emotion and in honoring them both.
But it’s been a while now. And I told 1 of 8 that I had some readers asking about it. I asked her how she would feel about me writing a little something about it.
And she said it was fine, that she understood why people would be curious and that the experience was worth sharing.
Our oldest kids have all chosen to be older before entering the dating game. It’s not a family rule or anything. It’s a decision each of them has arrived at as they have evaluated their goals and choices. And 1 of 8 entered this particular dating relationship from all the right places. We are dear friends with the guy’s family~~still are. We come from a similar faith background. There was a strong foundation of friendship and history before dating ever entered the picture. Lots and lots of things were right.
And it took a couple of years to realize that even with so many things that were right, goals and dreams and career paths were not going to take them the same direction.
And so they made a decision. A decision to not continue the romantic relationship. And to my observation, even though it was very tough for all involved, there was a lot of respect and honor and heart that went into that decision.
I questioned myself after all was said and done. Should I have ever blogged about it? Was that an area that put too much pressure or gave too many details or should have not entered the ‘public’ arena of my blog?
But on the other hand…
It’s life. And there are always things to be learned. And I think there is a lot of value to say to kids and parents out there:
Even when it seems like the stars have aligned…
Even when there is strong friendship…
And the families love each other…
Even when a situation has been prayed over…
Even when personalities and senses of humor and likes and dislikes match…
Even then….
It sometimes just doesn’t work…
And the courage to just call it…
Is admirable…
And tough…
And wise.
Beautiful family. Beautiful photos.
We all have dreams and hopes and plan that, for whatever reason, don't turn out the way we had planned. My opinion is that if you limit your blog content to items where you are certain of the outcome, or events that are so long in the past that nothing can now change, there is going to be very little left for you to blog about!
I'm sorry that it didn't work out for 1 0f 8 and Da Boy, but I'm sure it was a beneficial experience for both of them. As the poet says "Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all!"