Thursday, October 21, 2010

An Ode...In Memphis

One of my favorite movies of all time is also one of the most heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. If any of you have seen Splendor In The Grass a 1961 film starring the amazing Natalie Wood, you know what I mean. If you have not seen this movie, go rent it NOW. It's a must see.

The story line hits home for me. It's about high school sweethearts who fall in love, only to be torn apart by bad decisions. More so it's about a desperate love. A love so powerful it eventually breaks them both with heartbreaking results. Deanie's (Wood) breakdown is hard to watch. You can feel her heart ache. The story ends with both characters moving on and finding peace with each other. It goes to show you that love is never enough and the wrong love can hurt you fiercely.

About a month ago, Shawn and I filed for divorce. For those of you that have known us for years have known what a roller coaster relationship we have had. There has been good times, but there has been a lot of heart break. I would go as far as to say that most of our relationship was like Deanie and Bud's. Not much of it was healthy, but we loved each other desperately. That love turned on us in the end.

It's hard to look back over the past 15/16 years of our lives together and not feel sad. We grew up together. We taught each other everything we know about life and love. But, seasons change and time marches on. What once was,will not always be, cannot always be. Eventually every fledgling spreads it's wings and flies away. Our relationship reached it's end. We'd taught each other all we could and certainly damaged each other enough. It's time.

I don't want sympathy and grief (just money, okay?? lol). I want people to be happy for us. Yes, a divorce is heart breaking, but it's the start of a new life. I want people to be supportive of us and to help make this an easy transition. Keep us company! Take us out! Make us have fun! We've had each others company for 13 years. It's hard to adjust to that absence. Just be there when we need a hand to hold, an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on. He and I are still friends, you all might as well stick around too!

Now I close with this poem, An Ode by Williams Wordsworth. It is how the movie got it's title. I wont post the whole thing, just the significant lines. If you want to read it, you can find it here...

http://www.online-literature.com/keats/523/


What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;