I wanted to sincerely thank all of you that prayed for my husband and I during our trying times. I wanted to let you know that he is finally coming back home. There were things to be worked out, of course, and we've done (and will continue) to do that...together. As a family.

God bless and keep each of you~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), July 25, 2002

Answers

Jackiea,

That is so great to hear! We should continue to pray, however, that your hubby remains and grows stronger and stronger in faith with you. Thank you Jesus for the mighty works you have in store for Jackiea!

We all love you, Jackiea! May you and your family have a great day.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), July 25, 2002.

Yea Team! - You Your Husband And Christ.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), July 25, 2002.

Thanks, you two. :) The love is right backatcha!!! And yes, I hope the prayers continue, not just for that but also for my job hunting...oy vay! That's not going so great but I'm sure as soon as school starts again and the college kids go back to school, things will be opening up for me.

I have been so filled with the Holy Spirit that I just feel as if I could burst! LOL It's such a joyous feeling to know that God has worked through you to help another. And I've done that with my husband. To get him back to Christ and away from the evil snare that has enveloped him has been my goal. Even if we were not meant to be back together, to see him hurting not only emotionally but spiritually..the struggle that was taking place in him...was killing me. But he seems to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and for that, I am eternally grateful to God.

Well, thanks again, guys. You must know what a blessing you have all been to me...to us. God bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), July 25, 2002.

Dear Jackiea,

I am so happy to hear the great news!!! Praise you, Jesus!!

You were on my mind so strongly yesterday and I stopped into church for some quiet time...it was just me and Jesus in the church and I had 15 minutes of quiet, prayerful, solitude. Your name came into my heart and I prayed so hard for you, as I and everyone here has been doing.

May the Holy Spirit and Our dear Blessed Mother continue to work in your lives and bless your family - your "family!" Miracles still happen every day and the power of prayer does work!

May Our Lord's peace be with you and may he continue to shower blessings on your marriage and home!

We all love you, Jackie!

MaryLu :)

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 25, 2002.

Hi Jackiea,

That is wonderful news! I am very happy for you and your family and I will continue to pray for all of you.

God Bless,

-- Kathy (sorry@nomail.com), July 25, 2002.

Thank you, Kathy and MaryLu! :) Can't seem to stop smiling.

That is so awesome that you did that, MaryLu!!! At some point yesterday, I had that feeling. Just this overwhelming feeling of needing to pray hard. Especially for him. I don't deny these things anymore because I know they are Divine. I just go with it. :D

Bless you, bless you, bless you! The power of prayer is so wonderful. It does my heart so good to think of all that we can accomplish here. Take care and God bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), July 25, 2002.

Two months ago reading this thread I would have laughed and sneered at such faith in prayer.

Glory to God, great news Jackiea I am delighted for you.

Kia Kaha Courtenay

-- kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), July 26, 2002.

Jackiea,

God bless you and your family! I have been praying for you guys, and you babies.

Blessed be God, a million, million, million times.

David

-- David (David@excite.com), July 26, 2002.

Jmj

I was confident that this would happen, jackiea.
Remember that I told you to have "hope" (as in your baby's name, Hope).

Now that the situation is changing, I would only ask you to reconsider your thoughts about a job outside home. No pressure from me, though, as only you and your husband know whether or not it is necessary.
If it is not necessary for you to work outside, please remember how much better it will be for your children if you are at home for them. And I believe that Chris B has quoted some Catholic Church texts on the importance of this.

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 26, 2002.

Jackiea,

I am very happy for you and your whole family. I will pray that the situation is completely resolved with your family intact.

Courtenay,

Praise be to God, indeed. Glad to hear of your new belief in prayer.

-- Glenn (glenn@excite.com), July 26, 2002.

Glory to God indeed! :)

Thank you once again for all of your prayers and support. God led us through this and although, we are not all the way home yet, at least he is here and we are together.

John, believe me...I share your feelings. But it is a situation where I must get a job. For financial and personal reasons. Plus, my little Hope certainly needs a lesson in sharing and she gets lots of that at the daycare. :) I've been very lucky and blessed.

Take care and God Bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), July 29, 2002.

Good morning, Jackiea! :)

One day at a time....

I think once the second or third week in August come around, it will be easier to find a job, Jackiea. As you said in a previous posts, the college kids have the jobs now. Once they go back to school, the market should open up again.

In the mean time, I hope you are sending out your resume to various places...you just never know. Are you still going to do the temp thing? It is a good way to get your foot in the door - especially, if you get a temp-to-hire position.

You are still in my prayers, Jackiea as is everyone on the forum.

I don't know if you read any of the other posts, but are you aware that Fred has passed away? Check out Pray Please, July 28th...He was in a motorcycle accident and didn't make it.

Please remember his soul in your prayers and pray for Carolyn.

My Love and His peace,

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 29, 2002.

Jackiea, it was July 26th post..sorry..Please Pray...

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 29, 2002.

Dear Jackiea,

I am very glad to hear of your good news! I will continue to pray for you and your family. May I recommend a book for the two of you as you work through this together? It is called Boundries in Marriage (there is also Boundries, and another one Boundries with Kids, all excellent). They have been very helpful for me personally, for us in our marriage, and also with my children.

Have you considered a structured weekend like Marriage Encounter or Family Life - A Weekend to Remember? I know that that Marriage Encounter weekends can be done through the Catholic Church while the Family Life weekend is non-denominational.

God bless you both and your family!

cksunshine

-- cksunshine (ck_sunshine@hotmail.com), July 29, 2002.

cksunshine,

I just wanted to say that it is good to hear from you. Now, when anyone familiar is gone for a long time it starts to worry me.

I cannot believe how much you guys have become my second family! It is so great to have this kind of Catholic support.

From the bottom of my heart I thank all of you.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), July 29, 2002.

Hi Jake,

You are truly an asset to this forum and we love having you here.

CK,

There is another program run by the church for troubled marriages...I cannot think of the name of it right now..but I know it starts with an R...I am going to find out and let Jackiea know.

From what I understand Marriage Encounter is for good marriages that need a little booster shot...a little reminder, so-to-speak, but the program I am talking about is for Catholic marriages that are in trouble and it is supposed to be wonderful. I will post the information as soon as I get it.

I bet dear Fred would know that information...maybe one of the other knowledgeable people here do.

I am happy for Jackiea that her husband is home and hope and pray he stays and it all works out..

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 29, 2002.

MaryLu, CK and Jackiea,

The "R" is Retrouvaille--I only know because I periodically see it mentioned in the Church bulletin. If anyone wants a website, here's one:

Retrouvaille--Also, inside this link, check out the hotlink to "Other Links."

God bless you all,

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), July 29, 2002.

Mateo, thank you so much. I see it in the Catholic newspaper, of which I have no copies on hand.

I understand it is a very good program and many couples have been helped with their marital problems.

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 29, 2002.

Hi Jake,

Thanks for your kind words! I understand exactly what you mean about when anyone is gone for awhile from here. It is so strange that when I left for vacation, there were a couple of threads that people were worried about Fred not being around for awhile, and then I come back, and apparently he had been on vacation, but then, he was gone... It really shook me. I've been so worried about Brian and his heart problems but didn't expect to find anyone gone, you know?

This really is like my second family too. Sometimes I stay more in the background, but I tend to do that in person sometimes too.

Mary Lu and Mateo, I had heard of Retrouvaille before, but had forgotten about it. Yes, it is supposed to be excellent. I've heard about it through our parish, and interestingly enough through Focus on the Family!

Jackiea, you and your husband and family continue to be in my prayers. Remember it's going to have it's ups and downs, but stay strong my friend and sister in Christ!

cksunshine

-- cksunshine (ck_sunshine@hotmail.com), July 31, 2002.

Hi, everyone and thanks for the help. I'm afraid it was a false alarm, though. We had agreed to start over, leaving the old problems behind but he can't do that so, he's leaving again. Only this time, he wants a divorce. He just can't get back "that feeling" again...no matter how hard he tries. So, that's it, apparently. My heart is broken, once again and I've cried enough to fill a river today. Right now, I just need to relax (as best I can) and pray for strength.

My love to all of you~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), July 31, 2002.

Oh Jackiea,

I am sorry to hear this. You and your family are in my prayers.

God Bless,

-- Kathy (sorry@nomail.com), July 31, 2002.

Jackiea,

I know you don't know me, but I just wanted to say that I will pray for you, if you will please pray for me. I am going to suck it up and make an online confession (one that I thought I never would, but I have realized in this thread that maybe a few extra people praying could not hurt :) ): My husband left me 2 weeks after our youngest son was born. I cannot completely blame him, we both had no idea how to handle all the ups and downs of married life amd he refused marriage counseling with our priest when I asked him to go with me. I am probably most responsible as I have been Catholic all my life (he is a convert) and I should have remained strong enough in the faith for the both of us. If I had remained stronger, I may have been able to be a better influence on him and a better Catholic wife. But unfortunately, I did not, and here I am. I am truly sorry for my past wrongdoings, but I cannot change the past.

Although the pain never completely goes away, especially for my children, I get by with a little humor, lots of laughter, a lot of love (from my children), help from my family, and by the grace of God. Because I know no matter what I did, God has forgiven me (through confession of course) and He wants me to raise my children to be with Him someday. That is my goal in life, to guide those three souls to Heaven, and pray for the one that is lost (my husband). God will bring him back one day, even if it is on his deathbed. I have faith, and I don't think God would let so many prayers and tears go to waste.

The best we (you and I) can do right now is to pray. St. Monica cryed and prayed for years over her son, St. Augustine, and the grace of God finally touched him because of her prayers. I don't know if anyone has mentioned these saints to you yet, but just in case:

St. John Francis Regis, Patron of Marriage St. Gengulf, Patron of unhappy marriages St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, Patron of married women.

Please pray to them, as I will pray to them for you, as well. Just remember that God answers our prayers on His terms, not ours. His will be done.

God bless you!

Isabel

-- Isabel (isabel1492@yahoo.com), July 31, 2002.

oh, Jackiea, I am so very sorry to hear that. You are on an emotional roller coaster right now...I think your husband is very confused and really needs to talk to someone.

I hope he is aware that there is a difference between lust and love. He may be in 'lust' with this other women, not in love. Marriages go through rough spots, and we can't just run away into someone else's arms when those rough times come...we have to try to work it out, but we sometimes need 'outside' help to do that.

We all will continue praying for you Jackiea, and your family...my heart aches for you, dear sweet Jackiea.

Pray without ceasing, Jackiea...but pray that God's will be done, not yours. He knows what is best for you..

Love, MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), July 31, 2002.

Jackiea, hang in there things will get better. Love and Blessings

-- kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), August 01, 2002.

Hi Jackiea:

I'm so sorry to hear about these troubles you are having. It's so exhausting to be on an emotional roller coaster.

I pray that you will focus your attention now on you and your children. Disengage from your husband, and concentrate on feeding your spirit. You MUST find peace. You MUST pursue peace. Peace must be your goal right now.

I pray that the Jesus will be closer to you than ever, that you will feel His presence in a new and special way. That He will be your husband, big brother, the lover of your soul, your constant companion, and SAVIOR! I pray that you will feel His loving arms around you, that you will nestle close to His breast, like John the beloved disciple.

Oh Lord, wipe the tears from Jackiea's eyes, hold her face in your hands, speak your words of love to her, Lord. Lord, woo her like you woo your bride, flood her soul with your loving light!

Blessings and PEACE to you,

Gail

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), August 01, 2002.

Jackiea,

I, on several occasions, have heard this: "If you love him, let him go. If he comes back, then it was mean to be. If he doesn't, then it was never meant".

As your marriage is a union that no man (human that is) can tear apart, it may be difficult to bear this divorce (if indeed it does go through - which I will pray your husband has a QUICK change of heart). However, if it does, your husband (which he still will be) will sooner or later understand that his true love for you, which formed your marriage bond, is far beyond what any "old flame" could possibly possess. And I truly believe that if your main focus right now are the things of God, He in His great Glory will restore you your life ten-fold. Job - suddenly comes to mind. This would be a very good book in the Bible to focus on and read throughout this ordeal, as Job too lost everything (except his faith). Yet in the end, it was far better for him.

St. (I'm not sure if he is considered a saint? But he has got to be with God) Job - please pray that our beloved Jackiea is comforted during this tribulation, and that with an enduring love for our Lord, Jesus Christ, her husband and her life may be restored newer and greater than before. Amen.

We all love you Jackiea. Don't lose Hope :)

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), August 01, 2002.

Thank you everyone for such beautiful and loving thoughts. And for sharing your own personal experience. I'm sure that wasn't easy, Isabel but I really appreciate it. It never ceases to amaze me what good and loving people there are here. Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me!

What all of this comes down to...in a nutshell...is he got burnt out. On life, his job, marriage, everything. All of the pressures just became too much and although, yes, he left~he never really went away. He didn't have time to heal that anger that burns in him. So, we agreed that we won't do anything permanent at this point. He doesn't understand my patience with him, as he can be a very hard man to live with at times LOL but as I told him "I believe in us". And I have alot of faith. We have always believed that God put us on this Earth to be together. I couldn't understand when my ex left me pregnant and with a 1 year old and the subsequent divorce, hard times, etc...what good could possibly have come from that. After I met my husband, though, and we had our baby girl...well, then I knew why God let me go through such a rough time. Of course, He never left my side but had I not gone through all of that...I'd never have met my soulmate. He left this morning to go stay with his uncle. A very good man. :) He's going to work on himself because right now, he's not good for anyone, truth be told. It could take a month but that's alright. I asked him to not only try and find himself again but to also try and find God again. He gave me his word that he would. There is still so much love between us. He just needs to heal himself and let God heal him. I think this will be good for both of us, actually. And in the meantime, I think I'm close to finding a job and I start school in two weeks! :) It's just a course every Saturday but it's going to be a skill to better myself and enable me to get a job making pretty good money so I can support the kids.

And yes, I've thought about dear Job many times throughout this roller coaster ride. My faith burns strong. As does my love..for my God, my Church, my kids and my husband. I love him enough to let him do this. To get away for a while. I just pray God takes care of him on this journey he is on and that He speaks to his heart. It's all I can ask.

Take care, everyone and God bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), August 01, 2002.

Hi Jackiea,

Thought of you today when I read this:

A Thought for the Day It is not how troubled the sea is that determines the course of your life; it is who the Pilot is.

The Lord will either calm your storm or allow it to rage while He calms you.

Author unknown

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Bible Verse Psalms 16:7

I praise you, LORD, for being my guide. Even in the darkest night, your teachings fill my mind.

Prayer Lord, help me to trust you to guide my life. Amen

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), August 05, 2002.

Hi Jackiea,

Thought of you today when I read this: It is not how troubled the sea is that determines the course of your life; it is who the Pilot is.

The Lord will either calm your storm or allow it to rage while He calms you.

Author unknown

Bible Verse Psalms 16:7

I praise you, LORD, for being my guide. Even in the darkest night, your teachings fill my mind.

Prayer Lord, help me to trust you to guide my life. Amen

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), August 05, 2002.

Hey Sweetheart,

Youré the best. Been thinking of you lots and praying too. God bless your husband too, rest his heart. I just want you to know that I have the greatest faith and trust in you. You will do fine, no matter what. I think he will too. I know he's a pain right now, but hey...so am I :-) Thinking of you lots. And wishing I could be there to give you hugs (and maybe more importantly- to make you dinner and watch your kids so you could rest a minute). Wish I could hug him too. Glad you have friends and family to support you.

XOXOXOXOXOXO Jane

-- jane (jane@don't likespameither.com), August 05, 2002.

I'll carry these words with me wherever I go, MaryLu~

The Lord will either calm your storm or allow it to rage while He calms you.

Thank you for that. :)

And I've been thinking of you, too, my dear Janie. I'm thinking a phone call is in order, given your typing skills right now. hehe Yep, I'm rotten. Think I may do that now, as a matter of fact. So, get ready. :D

I had my job interview today. There are some logistics to figure out if I get it (daycare schedule conflict, etc) but I think it went very well so, we'll just have to cross each bridge as it comes.

Take care and God bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), August 05, 2002.

We pray right now, Lord, if it be your will, give our beloved Jackiea this job. St. Joseph, patron of workers, pray that Jackiea obtains this job. Amen.

Don't you worry at all Jackiea! It is in the Lords hands now, and He will take care of you. He knows exactly what is best for you.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), August 06, 2002.

Your mom obviously did a very good job with you, Jake. :) Thank you so much for the prayer.

You are very right! I know I am in God's hands and my life is not my own. I gave it to Him a long time ago and I know that with Him by my side, I will always be on the right path.

Take care and God bless~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), August 06, 2002.

Hi Jackiea,

I could not get on here for days...so glad to hear from you and the fact that you may have a job coming your way! :)

I will pray to St. Joseph for you. I do pray for you every day, Jackiea, every day.

I missed everyone..My day just doesn't seem normal without checking in with the catholic forum.

BTW, who is Jane?

God Bless, Jackiea, and may you find comfort, peace and hope in Our Lord, Jesus who is watching over you and guiding you every step of the way! He is not going to let you down, Jackiea...you know that, but thought I'd say it anyway.

MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), August 09, 2002.

Thanks, MaryLu!!! You don't know how much that means to me, dear.

I haven't heard on the job but I'm calling the temp agency in the morning to check. I had my first class yesterday and may I just say this~MY BRAIN STILL HURTS!!!!!! LOL I haven't had to think this much in 13 years! But it's a nice distraction from my husband and all of that right now. I even DREAMED about the teeth numbers and names last nite! Geeeeez. :)

And Jane used to be a regular on here. She doesn't come around much anymore. We met here...oh what? a year? two years ago? and I've been blessed to have made such a wonderful, supportive and loving friend in her.

You take care, MaryLu and God bless your day, dear~

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), August 11, 2002.

oh I'm sure you've been thinking more than that in the last 13 years- with 3 kids you're just not used to thinking in a straight line! All that multi-tasking and responding to the simultaneous and conflicting demands of the family ..that's certainly harder than just about anything. You'll do great. No doubt in my mind.

Hi Mary Lu, glad to meet you.

I love you too, Jackiea.

XOXOXOX Jane

-- jane (jane@don't .like spameither), August 11, 2002.

and actually I'm around, it's just (as David Byrne says) "when I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed":)

J.

-- jane (jane@don't.likespameither), August 11, 2002.

Ah, Janie...my little lurker. :D

You know how they say there is a certain percentage of your brain that you don't use? Well, honey, I do believe I found that part yesterday! hehe

Oh and guess what today's Mass was about? (Yes, I went!!!! WOOHOO) It was about when Jesus sent the disciples out in the boat and the storm came and Jesus told Paul to walk to Him....And how if we keep Jesus close to us and never doubt that it is truly Him that is there (and I thought of your quote, MaryLu), then we can find the calm inside our own storm. And another timely message was the part that we sang at various times throughout Mass~Be still and know that I am God. Boy, was I praying that hard? My little one was a bundle of energy and frankly, driving her mother crazy. My oldest looked at me with sympathy and I leaned over and whispered in his ear "do me a favor? Pray for God to calm my heart". He smiled and said "of course I can do that for you". :) God love 'im.

And God love you, too, Jane. Lord knows I do. :) ((((((((((HUGS))))))

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), August 11, 2002.

i don,t know st. gengulf i just found it on internet i prayed to 12 st,s of impossiable cases for 9 mo,s day and night at times 8 hr,s a day for my daughter and baby her husband left for a female he doesn,t want to come back i pray my daughter finds someone she is very very to the extreme sick over this she is cery fathful the baby is sick too very bad daddy doesn,t care . she told me don,t pray any more god is making his life better then ever and our,s is destroyed to our scul how can god make him get away with this he crumbled both them help me pray i can,t give up i promised much to our lady of miraculous medal a candle shrine at our church in thanksgiving amen amen amen

-- carol ross (sherry1@ccia.com), March 05, 2003.

help pray for daughter and baby husband left for another pray she finds someone to heal her and baby broken heart very sick over this

-- carol ross (sherry1@ccia.com), March 05, 2003.

help pray for daughter and baby husband left for another pray she finds somtell me if praying eone to heal her and baby broken heart very sick over this

-- carol ross (sherry1@ccia.com), March 05, 2003.

pray my son and wife concieve she,s 43 he,s 36 they want a baby berore it,s too late

-- carol ross (sherry1@ccia. com), March 05, 2003.

i am a stubborn child 60 yr,s oldi believed in jesus word all you ask the father in my name will be given i ask for this catholic marriage to be healed help my daughter say,s don,t pray any more husband life got better mine and baby got worse she,s near a break down baby 4 yr,s is sick too how can god make him destroy 2 lives and let an adultrer get away with this my daughter say,s dont ask !!!!!!parish the thought .erase this god

-- carol ross (sherry1@ccia.com), March 05, 2003.