“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We’ve all heard the serenity prayer countless times throughout our lives. I’ve loved these beautiful words from the first time that I heard them; putting them in to practice, however, is another matter entirely.
After my divorce I felt completely helpless. I felt as if I had lost everything that night. I lost my home, my husband, my source of income, and my dream of having a family. No matter what I did it seemed I could not change any of these things. My marriage had fallen apart in front of me, with no hope of recovery. Even if I did go back to work, without a degree I knew I would have no chance of being able to support us on my own with the price of daycare. I felt completely out of control and for many of those things I was right. I couldn’t control the fact that I was getting divorced; that I would soon be a single mother. I couldn’t control losing my home or my income, but there were lots of things I did have control over. I chose to go back to school to give my son a better life. I made the hard decision to move back in with my parents until that goal was met. I chose to start my life over one step at a time.
I could have let the things I did not have control over consume me. Heaven knows there are still many things in regard to my divorce that I don’t have control over. Coping with that fact is a constant struggle, but I have also learned to take care of the things that I do have control over. It takes courage to make the changes that need to be made, but in the end the choice is yours. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable. It is time to accept the things you cannot change and find joy in the things you can.