Intro:
Thank you for making your way to my Blog. My name is Ella, and I welcome you and anything you'd like to share. Feel free to make requests for topics, and share your experiences. We can learn so much from each other.
I am a single mom now for over 18 years, with a daughter now early 20's. This blog was started when she was still a teen. Now I am not only blessed by her, but also her 2 wonderful boys. My life is full of love. Reflecting back I see that I have learned so much about life and God through navigating the storms and joys of single parenting. I am the sandwich generation, with a mother now 90. Enjoying her for the time I have her; rediscovering my mother has been a journey as well.
I chose to call this Blog “Single Parent Faith” because this single parent journey has been a pilgrimage for me as I traverse my way back to God.
Topics I blog about:
Ø Spiritual reflections and contemplation- Discovering God in every moment (even in the midst of struggles)
Ø Travel memories—of trips I took myself, or those accompanied by my daughter at varying ages
Ø The challenges of raising a child (now teen) as a single parent
Ø Dating relationship observations and experiences (from my perspective and my daughter’s)
Ø Self-improvement and saying no to victimization at any level
Ø Survivor of suicide (a man I once loved chose this exit strategy). I will blog more about this in the months ahead.
Ø Hopeful expectancy that God will deliver a God-loving man into my life to cherish the rest of my days with
Ø And much more...
Faith:
I believe in the resurrected Christ, and that He is the son of God, not to be relegated as “just another prophet.” I try to live my life in accordance with Jesus’ teachings which He masterfully and perfectly demonstrated. I often fail, but get up, dust off, and try again. That is the gift of the mercy and forgiveness God extends to us, His children. Knowing we are human, "Our God is a God of second chances."
Resources to Check Out:
Some Pastors who have a God-given gift to reach people in a very relevant and fresh way, and whose sermons resonate with me:
Why I blog:
I want to give single parents a voice beyond the stereotypes and clichés. I want to represent, so to speak, that we single parents are involved & emotionally available to our kids, as well as spiritually present to God’s intention.
This blog is my act of faith to move in the direction I feel that I am Divinely led, which is to capture and share my single parenthood experience. I have through the years written down so much of it (still held hostage in my computer) and blogging gives me the opportunity to slowly set it free.
I believe that only if I share with you from a place of openness and vulnerability, is there anything worth sharing. There are moments when I am feeling strong and have a sense of clarity. Then there are the cloudy moments when I struggle with doubts, impatience, fear, etc. I promise to impart those moments and to be "real" with you so that you hear the rawness in my struggles and my triumphs. Only in expressing with authenticity can we be assured that we are all in this together. This allows us to see ourselves in the context of what connects us rather than what separates us.
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, know that I write for you. No matter where you are in your life, or in your belief of God, know that you are not alone in your struggles. Often I have struggled with my own faith. During the last few years I was uncertain about God since I could not see Him acting in my life. I also went through a phase of being angry with God for not answering my prayers. So I definitely understand doubt.
There will never be a day that we know every thing there is to know about God. He has no beginning nor end, so anything boundless cannot be fully understood by a mere human. So I encourage you not to wait until you have faith, to begin seeking. I started attending a bible-based church, where I felt welcomed and where I could be nourished by the thought provoking and heart opening sermons. I took my daughter too, even before I felt like I was firm in faith because children are forced to grow too quickly in today’s world where self-destruction and disrespect seem to be the crowd mentality norm. I didn’t want her growing years to escape the opportunity to blossom into her best, awaiting me to figure out my faith.
My faith continued to grow as I pursued resources to read, and CDs to listen to on my drive into work. I also began listening to Christian radio where I found deep lyrics full of inspiration. I found myself uplifted by the time I reached my destination, often not wanting to get out of the vehicle because I wanted to stay plugged in. I began to read the New Testament in the Bible, to re-acquaint myself with Jesus’ teachings, and found an endless supply of insight and hope in His words.
My thought process began to shift from fear-based thinking to love-based. Self-love blossomed because I understood that as our Creator, God has a supernatural capacity to love us no matter what we’ve ever done, and no matter how imperfect we are. We belong to "The One" who breathes life into us, and whom without, we cease to exist. Since I am “God’s masterpiece” (as his creation, every single one of us is) how can I not be Love to others and to myself? (Ephesians 2:10)
Privacy:
I prefer at present to keep my privacy, more so because I am a single mom. I choose not to place pictures of my daughter or myself in order to preserve our safety.
Advertising:
If you read everything I wrote above this section, you'll know that I am not here to promote your products or services, so please don’t email me with these requests. I welcome collaboration and sharing of ideas, but not to drive your profit margin up. I moderate comments, so don't expect me to post your attempts to advertise. If you leave a comment that sounds like you actually read the post, and it's not full of hate, I'll post it.
God’s Best to you all!
Ella Venezia
