MVH's Profile

My interests include reading (area of greatest interest is modern British, Irish and commonwealth fiction, esp. by women writers), and politics (left of center).

For purposes of DailyStrength, given that I am in the Breakups & Divorce community, I will tell that particular "about me" story. Been married just over 9 years to a man who brought 3 children into my life whom he was in the process of adopting, so we are jointly the adoptive parents of twenty year old twins (male/female) and a 17 year old daughter. The story of our marriage is complicated by his growing mental illness (panic, anxiety, and finally bipolar disorder), which means we had about 4 good years and have had 5 years of struggle with growing and unstable mental illness issues and some related alcoholism (substance abuse is a common self-medicating technique for those w/ mental illness). I have supported him through years of treatments, meds, and several 'rescues' in an attempt to honor my marriage vows of 'in sickness and in health.' But he took himself off meds again this fall and left, for the 3rd time, right at the new year. I get it now. 'Stable' isn't going to happen. I am attempting to gracefully lay down the struggle and accept the impossibility of making this work. Perhaps, in the end, God put him in my path more for the sake of the children than the marriage. In that realm, at least, I believe I have made the greater difference, and they remain with me.