Who Am I?
Theodore Lovelace
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. –Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)
Hello, my name is Theodore Lovelace and I am the creator of this website. I am a single father raising three teenagers and I AM successful.
I’m successful because I’ve been separated from everything that I felt gave me the “appearance” of being successful. A long-term marriage (20 years), professional employment, bright kids, four bedroom/3bath/2-car garage home with a wrap-around porch and full deck.
Amazingly, it’s been twenty years of struggling to try to keep my marriage together in addition to seven years of trying to hold on to my home that almost drove me crazy. Yes, I nearly lost my sanity for an ILLUSION of success! It was in the midst of this process that I learned the absolute necessity of “detachment” and trusting God.
One week before I sat down to write this I had a meeting with my Director. In that meeting, my Director informed me that in three (3) weeks I wouldn’t have a job. My contract was not going to be renewed for the upcoming year…….” but you can go ahead and file for unemployment.”
I’m a fifty-nine-year-old single father raising three teenagers with no retirement. When my Director first spoke those words to me it felt as if LIFE had just caved in on me and literally crushed me. I had just recently paid my final “trial payment” on a mortgage modification plan which got me out of foreclosure. I spent some insurance money trying to get caught up but I also spent frivolously. Sometimes that’s what I do when I’m hurting emotionally- I spend money. It seems to provide some temporary pain relief. Then, the money was gone and, of course, the bills returned. I wasn’t expecting to be released from my job, I had just recently signed a new contract. NOW WHAT?
In approximately two weeks I’ll be an unemployed fifty-nine-year-old single father raising three teenagers with a house note, car note, with medical bills and no insurance. At this point, my life seemed hopeless. The way I saw it, based on my current circumstances (circumstances many of you are experiencing), I could GIVE UP or I could GIVE IN.
Well, I’ve never been the type to give up. I’d go out and find some type, any type of job, get a couple of payday loans to get me through and hope and pray for the next big break to come along. That’s never worked and has always provided only a temporary fix.
The one choice I’ve never made, and the only thing I’ve never tried in my life is “GIVING IN and LETTING GO.” I am at that point as I write this. I’m tired of struggling just to keep my head above water. I’ve wearied of fixing MY LIFE MY WAY just to wind up right back where I started.
Right now, at this moment, in this season of my life, I’m GIVING IN and TRUSTING GOD.
My name is Theodore Lovelace and I’m a single father raising three teenagers and I’m SUCCESSFUL because I’m doing exactly what I love to do- WRITE.
This is who Am I?
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