Keeping it Real

Posts Tagged ‘Gift’

I have been fielding a lot of questions regarding when I will be writing for the blog again.  Those who know me know that there’s little in the world that could take my attention away from those things I am passionate about…

That is, until a possibility to relight the flame of one of those past passions presented itself. 

My attention, most recently, has turned to reigniting the passion with my ex-wife, Cheryl Sproat.  Her and I have known each other since the fall of 1988… I knew there was something special about her the moment I met her.  I wasn’t sure what it was at the time but I can say, today, it was her smile, her laugh, and her attitude of loving life, family, friends, and so much more no matter what came at her.

We would hang out occasionally as we shared some mutual friends.  I remember meeting her with a friend at the mall on my 17th birthday.  Not long after that, I found the courage to ask her if she would go to a movie with me.  It was December 3, 1988, I was nervous, I wanted her to like me as more than a casual acquaintance… She said yes and we decided to take in Mel Gibson’s latest at the time… ’Lethal Weapon’.

There started a wonderful friendship that gradually grew into an incredibly amazing, inspiring, and loving relationship.  We would spend more and more time together until it became pretty clear that you wouldn’t see one of us without the other…

We got married on August 3, 1996 and immediately wanted to start a family.  We both very much wanted to be parents.  The problem, we discovered, was that it was very unlikely Cheryl would ever be able to get pregnant naturally.  There is a long story there but I can admit that through it all we were each other’s rock.  With a little help from In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Cheryl was able to get pregnant.  Later in the pregnancy, we found out we had been blessed with twins, one boy and one girl.  We both thought our perfect little family was all there.  Her pregnancy was ‘textbook’ as far as a multiples pregnancy goes.  Finally, on September 5, 2001, along came a beautiful, healthy little girl, MacKenzie.  Our boy, Michael, would not make it through delivery and is now MacKenzie’s guardian angel in heaven.  For more on MacKenzie and Michael, see: He is in our Hearts, Daddy.

There’s no doubt MacKenzie’s birth and Michael’s passing changed our lives…there’s something about becoming a parent that is so empowering and right…and there’s something about losing a child that is so deflating and wrong.  It wasn’t long after MacKenzie was born, however, that my relationship with Cheryl changed.  We, as a couple, were merely existing instead of really living.  Before, circumstances rarely determined our attitudes or moods and we lived and loved to the fullest.  With MacKenzie a part of our lives, we both felt incredibly blessed… what an amazing addition to our family that little miracle was.  During this period, however, life had become so routine that we felt we were merely taking up space, simply existing.  We were both very present for our daughter, of course, but something was missing in us.  Something wasn’t right.

Tensions between Cheryl and I grew and we began living our lives separately… not physically separate but emotionally and spiritually separate.  We recognized this and passed around the idea of engaging couple’s counselling or other means of working our way through what I considered to be a bump in the road.  I thought we owed it to ourselves, each other, and our amazing little girl, to work as hard as we could to reignite the passion we once had for each other.

It wasn’t long before we recognized that our hearts simply weren’t in it and we thought we would have to separate in order to build a positive home(s) for our little girl.  I remember thinking, “How could I love so deeply someone who refused to love me back.”  Cheryl and I separated and commenced our lives apart.  MacKenzie, although very disappointed, was quite resilient to all the changes going on around her.

I have some pretty amazing friends and family members who supported me through so much of the rollercoaster that has been the last 2-3 years of my life.  With their help, I didn’t allow the changes going on around me to influence my happiness.  I’m not going to say I didn’t have any sad days or that a bitter or resentful thought never went through my mind, but, thanks to amazing friends, an amazing employer, and an amazing family, I was able to focus my attention on what mattered.  I could focus on me and ‘create my little piece of happy’ along with building a positive, supportive home for my daughter and I.  At the same time, Cheryl was able to identify for herself who she was and wanted to become.

There were some very trying moments.  There was finger pointing and threats.  There was mistrust.  I refused to allow bitterness or resentment to become a routine in my life and chose to focus on that which I was grateful for… there was so much, afterall, to be grateful for.  I didn’t allow additional financial commitments or other personal and professional challenges to change who I wanted to be.  I can’t say I wasn’t hurt because I was… I had put everything into my relationship with Cheryl.  What I can say, however, is that I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself and certainly didn’t want others to feel sorry for me.

Late in the summer, perhaps early fall 2009, I was dropping my daughter off at Cheryl’s place and something occured to me.  I had REALLY let go.  I spoke breifly to Cheryl and shared with her that I hoped she could find the peace she was looking for, that I wished for her only the very best, and that I had let go.  I shared with her that our success as a couple will not be measured by the failure of our marriage but by how we choose to raise our little girl… I shared with her that I had forgiven her and I asked that she forgive me.  I told her that, for as long as she would let me, I would be her friend.  I told her that her happiness is a decision away.

From that moment forward I recognized a change.  I didn’t know what it was or even if our previous conversation had anything to do with it, but our communications from that point forward were less stressed.  When we did talk we smiled, we laughed… we started sharing little pieces of our lives with each other again.  Both of us had been ‘dating’ if it could be called that and both of us had released each other and, as importantly, ourselves from the burden of our failed marriage.  Most of all, however, we both gave the other the space we needed to really determine who we wanted to become.

It was a cold day in January when we met so I could drop off some of MacKenzie’s things.  I had picked up a few coffees and we sat in my truck enjoying some conversation and laughs.  I looked at her and told her that I was proud of how we had grown past the bitterness and the next words out of her mouth would introduce another major change in our lives… she said, “Yes, Darren, we make a pretty good team, don’t we?”  There was something in her this cold morning that I hadn’t seen in years, something warm… it was a smile, a REAL smile!

I don’t think I could pinpoint when things started feeling right again… or, for that matter, FEELING at all.  But, we made great strides together when we found it in ourselves to forgive and move on… to release ourselves and eachother… to stop feeling sorry for ourselves… to focus on ourselves first.

Today, Cheryl and I are back together.  The passion has returned, the feeling has returned… it wont be easy rebuilding our lives, we recognize that, but we have a renewed commitment to each other and a renewed lease on our relationship.

I wish to thank all who regularly read and contribute to this blog.  Your many comments, e-mails, and contributions are true blessings and I am looking forward to many more.

Leave your comment and stay tuned…

Darren Sproat

I was out the other day putting the finishing touches on my preparations for Christmas this year.  I found myself spending some time observing Moms and Dads and sometimes their kids shopping, waiting in line, or any one of several other activities that it seems everyone has to do prior to Christmas festivities…

There was a common theme that was rather disappointing… very few people were smiling or enjoying themselves.

There’s no doubt that the time of year adds unnecessary stresses to everyone’s already hectic schedules but there are several things you can do to prevent stress from getting the best of you at this time of year…

• Put perfection behind you – Everyone wants the holiday season to be perfect…from striving to achieve a perfect reaction from your spouse or children to a gift you purchased to desiring the perfect feast and family get together, the perfect gift wrapping and decorations, etc.  Accept that you may not be able to achieve perfection in every aspect of your holiday season.
• Set yours plans for visiting family and friends in accordance with your priorities – There’s nothing quite as stressful as trying to be in 4 or 5 places (Mom’s place, Dad’s place, Granparent’s places, etc…) all at once.  Set your priorities for family visits with family and friends in accordance with YOUR priorities not those of your Great Aunt!  Consider alternating between your’s and your significant other’s families yearly and leave yourself the time to truly enjoy these opportunities – especially if visiting these families requires any significant travel requirements.
• For those last minute items, plan before you shop – It’s natural to forget an item or have to make a trip to pick up a few things at the last minute.  Make a list and plan where and what you will buy before you hop in the car and head to the mall.
• Take a moment to enjoy the moment – The stress caused by hectic schedules and season related to-do lists can be relieved by simply taking a moment to breathe and enjoy the wonderful around you!  Take a moment to remember why you celebrate this time of year.

How do you handle seasonal stresses?

photo credit: isabisa

Communicating is so important to all facets of one’s life… from building a healthy relationship with your significant other to raising your kids to maintaining a successful career or business.  In my experience, however, many people believe that being a strong communicator is equivalent to being able to effectively hear one out and react by spewing words that one believes the other wants to hear.

Communicating in such a way is not productive and can be filled with assumptions.  This is all too often the case when one doesn’t make the effort to listen and understand the conversation.  Instead of giving one’s attention to actually understand the conversation one simply takes the words, applies personal perception and emotion to what was heard, and reacts.

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.”
~ John Marshall

Effective communications requires a person to more than simply hear and react to what is being said.

“The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.  Just listen.  Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention… ”
~ Rachel Naomi Remen

So, how do we listen?

It’s simple… open your eyes and ears and shut your mouth!

photo credit: Stéfan

One of the true certainties in life is that little is certain… to truly experience life, energize your passion and clear your limitations to explore all possibilities.

photo credit: chema.foces

“Relinquish your attachment to the known, step into the unknown, and you will step into the field of all possibilities.”
~ Deepak Chopra

It took me a long time to understand that stepping outside of my comfort zone was the only real means to experience new things in life.  In doing so, I have overcome fears and perceived limitations in nearly every facet of my life.  Every once and a while, however, I need a little reminder and the quote above from Deepak Chopra reminded me of that tonight.

Let me know your thoughts?

Regards,
Darren Sproat

Posted by MsTausha,

Am I the only one who thinks the world is too engaged in unhealthy competition?

For example, when people find out that I am an artist, the first thing they want to do is compare my look and/or sound to another artist they are familiar with. One of the first questions people ask is, “Who would you compare your style to?” “Whose music would you say yours sounds like?” My answer is always the same, “My own…”

I’ve LEARNED, that what God has for me is for me.  I was not put on this earth to mimic Karen Clark Sheard or Beyonce Knowles in sound or action; I was put on this earth to be me…the best me that I can be, through the grace afforded to me…

It takes nothing more than a quick glance around the entertainment industry, or in your everyday space, to see the “cookie cutter mold” society is engaged in. With reality shows that aren’t really reality shows, and the mess that is called “music videos,” no one has a true sense of what’s real anymore. I truly believe that a majority of the issues we see in people today, especially our youth, are identity issues. A woman’s worth is now defined by how she measures up to the women seen on TV,  and a man’s worth is defined by how much money he has in his pocket or how successful he is considered to be. Everyone is trying to be like someone else. People are disfiguring themselves or losing their lives to plastic surgery because they are trying to “fit the mold.” Life has become more about what you look like on the outside, or what you own rather than true character. Ladies, you could be a straight up brick house: pretty face, slim waist, beautiful skin…but if you’re ugly on the inside, your life will still be miserable. Fellas, you could drive around in the most expensive car and have the grandest house; but money cannot buy you the true love and pure joy your heart desires.

Forget who the world says you are supposed to be, and dare to be who God says you are! A lot of us are afraid to be ourselves because we’ve been pretending for so long; we honestly don’t know who to be. Allow me to introduce YOU to the real YOU:

• You are made in God’s image, after His likeness (Genesis 1:26)
• You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
• You are the HEAD and not the tail; above ONLY and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)
• You are FORGIVEN, set apart, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11 AMP)
• You are the one God loved so much, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for (John 3:16).

You betta ask somebody!

Leave a comment with your thoughts?

- Tausha