336 : Spring is in the Air

I spent the day yesterday with my very good friends that live out in the suburbs.  They had two boys just like I did and our four little guys were already the best of buddies.  It was good to be around them and be reminded what a 'normal' family and marriage looked like.  They both participated.  They both engaged with the kids.  They both supported one another during the challenging times.  And this was just seen in one afternoon.  It was so obvious to me now how much I alone had been giving to our family prior to the divorce and how very little my Ex was invested.  Perhaps the whole thing wasn't so shocking afterall.  My friends made life look so easy.  So enjoyable.  I knew this wasn't the case all the time, but it was a good reminder to me that it was possible.  I knew that if I ever were to marry again, I wanted someone who was just happy overall.  Someone who looked at life with optimism and who really valued family.  I wanted someone who wanted to spend time with us, too.  All of these things that I had thought I had all along, but so obviously did not.  The day had brought sunshine and warm temperatures, but most importantly a reminder of life lessons moving forward.  And for that, I was the most thankful.