My name is Jenna, and I am 25 years old. Tremendously blessed, I am married to a wonderful man, and together we are raising a beautiful little girl. Located in the "mitten state", we reside in a modest suburban area in our own itty bitty house. We have three cats and one dog as our furry companions, and are always tempted to have maybe *just one more*. lol We love God, and value all creation, big or small.
Proletarian's Barn

The latest issue of the ChoosingHome Newsletter is now available. This month, we have wonderful articles on homeschooling, along with a super-great interview with Barbara Curtis!
~Favorite Blogs~
~Resources~
Bible Gateway
The Book of Concord
Homeschool Talk Radio
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Saturday, April 02, 2005
Mommy loves Daddy, even if he deserves a spanking. lol
Today has been an "interesting" day, only qualifying as such because it is so odd compared to the norm. It is only my utter boredom and need of a quiet room that has me hiding in the computer room. For some reason, when we have gloomy days, I sleep too hard. I don't think that it helps that I have been having some pretty funky dreams, but more on that later.
So, when I woke up this morning, it was with much wimpering. Hello, massive headache, will you be staying long? *wilts* Because my eyeballs are about to pop out of my head in a terrible ooze, DD and I have spent most of the day in our pajamas, watching cartoons in bed. DH had to work, so there was no help to be had. When he did come home, he found that he had to go right back out to work, so I pleaded for him to bring food home with him so I wouldn't have to cook.
 DH, being the wonderful guy that he is, came home with lunch alright. So, we all sat together in the livingroom, or at least I tried. Instead, I hung out on the couch while they feasted on the floor and threw seasoned french fries at the dog, who was in his kennel. When they tired of that DH had the marvelous idea to teach DD how to make spit balls. You can just imagine the yuckies that I am going to have to vacuum up from the carpet later on. lol The worst part is that while DH kept his quite dry, DD didn't "get" it and started chewing on her paper bits until they were disgustingly slimy. Oh yes, and then she turned around and hit me square on, with a spit wad. She thought it was hilarious, and it was difficult to pry the straw out of her fingers. I blame it on daddy though. He started it! lol I think he deserves a spanking, letting DD pick on me and pelt me with spit wads while my head is imploding. *chuckles*
Since DD then decided that I would make a good road for running her toy car on, I decided to hide away in here, away from the radio, away from toy cars, and away from DD and Skippy's barking contest. I should have locked the door. lol I am just so thankful for latest installment of Scooby Doo videos, and that DH put a tv in DD's room. Oh blessed silence. So, DD is happily occupied for a few minutes, and DH has gone off to work on our wittle red car, so we can put the cougar in the garage this summer. She (the car) is DH's project car, and he looks forward to stripping her down and rebuilding her into a tremendously beautiful and fast car. In the meanwhile, I get to use an elderly pontiac grand prix for my grocery trips and such. I still think that it is going to be more gas efficient than the cougar though, so I'm not minding. I just have to find a way to fit two carseats back there, for when I start watching my nephew.
Now, about those dreams...... I wonder what is going on with my brain. Some people say that you dream about things that you have rolling around in the back of your mind, but I just don't know about that. I haven't talked with DH about my sleepless nights because I think that he would take things the wrong way, and I would just feel even worse. However, he notices that I am not feeling well, and that the lack of sleep is wearing on me.
I love my husband. Anybody who knows a whit about me, also knows that. DH is definitely not Mr. Perfect, but he's perfectly fine for me. I am more than content with him, and have found a deeper and more meaningful love with him than I have ever experienced. Now, that said, it is causing me some distress that I have been having dreams about someone that I was once involved with. He had been my first love, and I regret to add, a previous lover. My husband knows this person with whom I was close with, and he has some prickly feelings towards him. With that stage set, I'll admit that these dreams that I am having are of the more intimate kind, though not necessarily sexual.
I guess that I kind of feel betrayed by my inner thoughts, and become upset by the guilt that they cause. I do not want any different than what I have been given. To be quite honest, if I ever stood the chance of meeting up with this old flame again, I would run in the other direction and not look back. He represents a lot of shame for me, because I allowed him to have such a manipulative control over me that I would have even taken him back after knowing what he had done with other girls, after he said that he wanted to marry me. I had always hoped that I would have more self-respect than to tag after a guy like a lovesick puppy. Having more maturity now, I recognize the kind of person that he is, and I have heard the bad things that he has reaped through his behavior. I actually feel sorry for him, to some extent, but would never wish to get tangled up in him again even if I had never married. So, it seems so out of place that these stupid dreams would come upon me while I sleep. I wake up doubting myself, clinging to my husband, and questioning whether I deserve to have him. What is some part of me is causing this? Is this what I want, that it keeps coming to me?!? Am I really such a bad person to be thinking of such things while I lay in bed with my husband, whom I love a great deal? It eats at me, and I wish that I could burn these things out of my brain. I will chalk it up to another one of those reasons people should share with teen girls, when they ask why they should bother to wait until marriage before they have sex. All in all, I don't know what to do with my feelings, and I can't talk with DH about it because he gets insecure and jealous when the past is brought up, no matter the context.
I don't blame DH for being upset when thinking on things that have happened, and neither should anyone else. Some bad things happened, and if it wasn't for DH refusing to loosen his grip on me, I probably would have gone off the deep end after much abuse from my ex. DH and I both bear some pretty deep scars over that whole experience. I don't want to hurt him any more, and I know that it would cause him to doubt himself if I talked with him about this. It makes me so sad and angry to have these stupid and awful thoughts intrude on my marriage and cause me all of this guilt. It makes me sound so sick, to think that any guy could have such an iron-grip on my life through his mental and emotional abuse. I have prayed and prayed that God would intervene and help me put this stuff behind me so it doesn't damage my marriage any more than it has in the past. I do kind of wonder why I can have times of such relief, and why there are other times when I feel so tormented. I am so tired and hurting today, but I dread the idea of going back to sleep, only to wake up feeling restless and upset.
Posted at 02:31 pm by Jenna
 |  |  | Evan April 2, 2005 04:43 PM PST
I'm so thankful that you didn't go off the deep end, ((Jenna)). I know things in my mind that I wish that I could burn out of my brain, but I can't. I can relate to alternating between times of mental relief and mental torment, praying many times for relief but not receiving it. All I can do is trust God to renew my mind (Romans 12:2).
I will keep praying for you, but I don't even know how to pray for you on this. If you know a good Christian woman with whom you can share and pray over these issues offline, I would encourage you to seek her out. |  |
  |  |  | Jenna April 2, 2005 06:17 PM PST
Unfortunately, I don't have any Christian ladies to call 'friend'. The only friends that I have are my sisters, and I wouldn't feel comfortable with speaking to either of them about this. I'm sure you can understand how tricky it can be, talking with family members...
:o ) ((Evan)) |  |
  |  |  | Laura Anne April 2, 2005 10:03 PM PST
(((((((((Jenna)))))))))
I too had a very hard time letting go of tormenting myself with sexual sin from the past. It really bothered me on and off for at least the first 4-5 years of our marriage. After continually struggling, praying and giving it up to God, I believe He has finally enabled me to get past pretty much all of it.
Give it time. I think in most cases, as we seek the Lord, He will help us through things in time. It just may take more time than we would wish.
You are not the same person you were back then. What matters is that you are doing the best you can now and going after God and His will. We are all imperfect sinners and that is why what Jesus did for us is so wonderful!!! Those who know Jesus as Savior are new creations in Him. Sure, we're being shaped and molded and trying to become more like Him as time goes on. This process isn't instantaneous, so be patient with yourself.
:)
Laura Anne
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  |  |  | Evan April 2, 2005 10:08 PM PST
((Jenna))
That's so sad, not having any Christian ladies around you to call 'friend.' :( I understand the trickiness of talking with family members about sensitive issues, but I have been able to open up some to my mother and stepfather after I wrote about my parents' divorce. Maybe one of your sisters might read your blog and start a fruitful conversation, or maybe not; I don't know your sisters. At least you have some online Christian ladies whom you can call 'friend.' :)
I pray that you would get some genuinely restful, peaceful sleep and that God would prevent the devil from haunting your dreams and your waking thoughts with recollections of your now-redeemed past. Occasionally my dreams recall my past, and reliving the past is not enjoyable at all. |  |
  |  |  | Kristen April 3, 2005 01:50 AM PST
I agree with Anne. I don't believe for a minute that you are responsible for what you're dreaming...I am so sorry you're being distressed by it (I mean, of COURSE you are distressed by it, and I would be, too). I pray in Jesus' name that those dreams will stop, and you will enjoy peaceful rest. ((HUG))
And like Anne, I know what it's like to have...a past...and to have it torment your present. The enemy loves to remind us of it, hoping that we'll become downcast and despondent, forgetting that we were cleansed of our past sins.
Love you, sister. |  |
  |  |  | Jenna April 3, 2005 12:46 PM PDT
Thank you so much for your support, everyone. It really means so much to me.
You are right, in that it really tears me down to think that maybe it is me that is bringing all of this nastiness to mind, things that made me sad and slightly tarnish my marriage.
As nights go by, I am realizing that there is a bigger picture to what is going on while I sleep. I have had more disturbing dreams, and all of them are negative. If you think of all the ways that you are vulnerable and someone could harm you and your family, then you can understand my dreams. Interesting enough, I am not the only one. DD was wimpering last night, and when I asked her about her sleep, she said that she was having bad dreams.
Things are really funky around here the last few nights. DH actually was so bothered at night that he went out to the garage to work on the car. It just seems odd to me that we would all be so bothered at the same time. Maybe there is something in the water. *jokes* |  |
  |  |  | Teresa April 4, 2005 10:11 AM PDT
I just wanted to echo some of the other commenters here. I'm 29 now, married DH when we were 21, and held a LOT of guilt about what reads as a parallel case to yours. I had always thought I was stronger than that, and every time, I would say, NO, not this time and succomb. While I found out later this qualifies as "date rape" I always felt that I was to blame, and still do.
Anyway, for years I would have flashbacks or awful dreams that I couldn't control. It took me realizing that Satan was trying to undermine my marriage (I thought I wasn't "truly" married to DH because he wasn't my first lover) through my guilt. I was forgetting that God forgave me. Embrace God's grace, and pray for release from this torment. You are probably right, talking to DH won't do much right now. I did talk to my DH, and it hurt him probably worst of all the awful things I've done in our marriage.
Time heals all wounds. That is truly all this is, I believe. It's a wound that the enemy is exploiting. Don't shut off from DH, or hide from him. Don't dread sleep. The dread almost insures you will dream bad dreams. Instead make love and savor the delicious feel of being with your husband, and trust God to give you sweet dreams! (I know from experience, this is easier said than done.) |  |
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