Rose of Sharon

Fridays are dedicated to strong women.  I will be writing about women I know and those I don't, and how they demonstrate power and perseverance.  Because this is my first shot at it and I happen to have a close friend who exemplifies all things awesome, today's blog will be for my homegirl *Sharon.

*names have been changed to protect identity

Sharon's childhood was what I call typical; parents married for a gabillion years, middle class, large Catholic family.  Having several siblings, Sharon learned the tangled web that bigger families weave, yet at the end of the day, they loved one another to the moon and back.

She left her hometown of Pittsburgh and headed to the rolling hills of Bloomington, IN for college.  It was at IU where she met her future husband Brian.  Life went on its merry way, Brian and Sharon married and had four beautiful babies.  They had the American Dream.  

Out of what appeared nowhere, and with so much to lose, Brian decided to have an extra marital affair, causing all but a semblance of perfection in his wake.  Devastated by Brian's choice (and a huge lack of consequence), Sharon did her best to try and piece things back together.  

Brian claimed that the affair was over and agreed to therapy.  Unfortunately, the affair wasn't over..... and he lied about it, though they were in the throws of counseling.

Long story short, divorce was imminent.  The dust settled, house sold and so began "mom's weekend with the kids" and "dad's weekend with the kids."

Throughout the entire process of the family breaking apart, Sharon remained graceful, never alluding to how hurt or angry she was with her ex-husband.  The kids never knew the real reason the divorce happened until they were teenagers; Sharon didn't want them to hate their dad.

 Sharon is strong for many reasons.  Sharon holds her head up high because she knows she could've soiled Brian's name all over town, but didn't.  Sharon is strong because she raises her kids with discipline and care and to be accountable.  Sharon is strong because she is out there in the big scary dating world.  Sharon is strong because she cries when sad and angry and knows that its completely acceptable.  Sharon is strong because she hasn't keyed Brian's car.  Sharon is strong because the other woman is still with Brian and accompanies him to the kids sporting events and Sharon doesn't punch her in the face.