Imagine you spent years feeling like there was a conspiracy against you with your ex-spouse and their parents when you were married. Imagine feeling like you were constantly scrutinized and that everything you did was spun to the negative. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

So, now you have been divorced for several years. You have a pretty good relationship with your ex, except for when the moon is full and you get you knee caps blown out for doing something that most people would think would be no big deal.  Now, prepare yourself for what is about to happen.

I am picking the kids up from the ex-in-laws house when I get the invitation. The car is running, the side door to the mini-van is open and I am greeting my kids in the hallway. My ex-mother-in-law approaches me right in front of my daughter and says, “Steve, we would love to have you over for Thanksgiving with our family this year if you don’t have plans.” Before I could say anything, my oldest daughter says, “Yay! Daddy you have to come…you don’t have plans!”

“Um……sure, that would be great. Thank you,” I said as a panic-stricken look appeared on my face. It is kind of like those times in your life where you wish you had plans so you could say, “Oh, thanks so much, but I have plans, but I appreciate the invite.” No…that wasn’t me. I froze! AND, I said, “Did you want me to bring my famous potato soup?”

So, here I am, sitting in my bed still typing away, watching ESPN, thinking about eating Thanksgiving with the very family who turned against me during my marriage and who I try to avoid except for when the kids are involved. I am psyching myself up to to go to the grocery store to get the stuff for my big pot of soup.

Oh, to make matters worse, my friend Ray calls me and says, “Hey dude. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I replied, “Thanks man, where were you last week!” Bottom line, I am going to my friends house after, so it gives me a good excuse to bail if things are getting a little too uncomfortable.

Well friends, I hope your Thanksgiving is NOT filled with drama. Instead, I hope you have a great day with your friends and family. I will have part 2 after Thanksgiving.  It shouldn’t be too bad.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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About The Author: Steve Garrison is a single dad of three children and an author, living in suburban Madison, Wisconsin. His life story mirrors that of many Americans. He made some poor decisions in his life, suffered emotionally and financially.  Each time, he picked himself back up and tried again to make life better for himself and his children. His latest book, The Five Secrets from Oz, is now available on Amazon.com., and explores the endless possibilities that await those seeking a life change. Garrison has stayed true to his desire to want to help others and believes this book appeals to all individuals wanting to better their lives. He can be reached at garrison.stephen@gmail.com.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 8:47 pm and is filed under divorce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.