"The Waves of My Life" by Sunny Anderson

Excerpt from Sunny's story:

"I would have to say that one of the biggest wakeup call in my life is when I went through a divorce from my husband of 23 ½ years and was the father of my 3 children I had suspected that he was having an affair and my suspicions were right. All I could think of was, here is the second man in my life that has chosen to abandon me.

There were myriads of emotions. I was angry and frustrated because I couldn’t control the situation and I couldn’t make him come back. It seemed so easy for him to just let me and the kids go. I felt like I had been punched in the gut and I couldn’t breathe.

The first 2 years were awful. The kids were so angry at their dad that they refused to see him or talk to him. I was a basket case trying to deal with my own feelings and emotions. I was becoming more and more depressed and anxious. I had very little money. I went to work and drank and smoked in the evening. Not a very pretty existence. But then the waters calmed down and I was able to feel capable and competent.

Until last year when I was diagnosed breast cancer diagnosis, was laid off work and then decided to retire. As you might expect the pain of my divorce went away but the depression and anxiety were back in full force. A lot to take in and process. I went back to seeing a therapist to help process the many changes. And that’s where we are today.

So, like the water, there will be days with depression and anxiety and the water will be churned up but then the wonderful calm will come over you and the waves will softly reach the shore and disappear."