After my divorce there was a lot to get use to. I had taken a while, many months in fact, to get over the surgery on my back. Then I had to get use to living on my own. Before I could leave my parents, I had to find a way to make a living.
I had made all sorts of things at my shop. I designed jewelry out of semi precious stones. I also had done arrangements out of the silk flowers that we sold at the shop. I had talents, and I knew how to work with people and how to sell. Even before I had fully recovered I started making jewelry and selling the pieces to friends. I also started painting seriously, and to my surprise I sold a painting. Dad had taken my painting to his gallery to be framed. A designer from Richmond Virginia had come into his gallery and seen my painting and wanted to buy it.
I also sold some paintings to friends of my parents. I worked getting together a show and had a one man show of my work at a local shop selling several of my paintings. I put out feelers for jobs. I was hired by a small local gallery as a sales person. Unfortunately they wanted me to promote an artist's prints telling people that photo prints of her work were good investments. These were not artist made prints, but really just signed photographs of her work. I knew my art, and these were only of decorative value. I could not honestly tell people that they would increase in value. So I quit on principles.
After that I worked as a substitute teacher. Every school that I was called to help in had different hazards for falling. I also did home bound teaching. I had begun to have some trouble with stairs. I never knew what kind of house I was going into. I had begun to worry about falling. Post Polio was raising it's ugly head and I did not fully understand what was happening.
I went on several job interviews to work as a sales person and as a floral designer. It became obvious that the people who interviewed me did not want to hired a handicapped person.
I sold my jewelry to a couple of museums gift shops in Virginia and to a local department store. I gave art lessons in my home. My minister's wife had a showing of my work and I started doing portraits of children in landscapes. One month I would do fine another not so good.
We had sold our home in Williamsburg. In the divorce settlement Tink, my ex husband got the business and I got the house. We had built our own home on an estuary of the James River. I received a good amount after the sale of the house. It helped us live. I invested in CD's and they paid well at the time. I also received $500 a month child support for two school aged boys. My parents also helped. Medical insurance was climbing in cost. Somehow we made it.
I had to deal with the boys not understanding. My two older sons had been away in school. Chris graduated and started college at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk. Scott wanted to live in Williamsburg with is father. I told him that I need to talk to his father to make sure that he would be there for him. I explained to Tink that teenage boys needed to have a parent at home and regular dinner hours. Just before the divorce, he had been working unusually long hours at the shop. He wanted to talk to Scott. He told Scott that he could not stay with him because he could not trust him. Scott broke down in tears. It wrenched my heart to see the child so unhappy. If only he had said," I can not be there for you when you need me." He put the blame on the child instead of taking it himself.
I had to deal with a lot of anger in Scott. Several fist were put through walls, but all and all we managed through this period of trauma. It took Scott meeting Kate Johnson, his soul mate, who gave him her heart. He finally felt the love his father had so thoughtlessly with held. All of my boys grew up to be fine men. I am truly proud of them. Not one of my sons was a major problem. There were of course small problems, but fortunately nothing major. Lots of love as well as tough love got us through.
Having to live life on your own has had its advantages. I have been able to follow my own path rather and following another path. I have accomplished so much on my own that I would not have done if I had stayed married.
