Why Loving With Barriers Was Never A Problem
A journey to break barriers and embrace love
I was raised believing love doesn’t work the way you imagine it to. And, that it looked nothing like the relationship Phil and Vivian had on Fresh Prince.
Before I was five years old, my parents divorced. I received no exposure to the byplay of love between a married couple. There were other married couples in my family, but the intimacies of their relationships were often played out in their homes. In other words, I didn’t have access to what that looked like. I had no idea what it looked like for a woman and man to love each other and establish boundaries in the midst of that love.
What I learned was love was something to protect myself from.
I learned love could not be counted on because it didn’t show up. I was taught this lesson through my relationship with my father.
Every weekend, I remember feeling excited because this was the time set aside to spend with my father. Coming home Friday afternoon, I would clean up my room and rush to pack my bag ready to go! Then Friday evenings would roll in with unanswered calls. Or, being told by my father that he was on his way to pick me up. And, waiting for him to show up. Then dealing with the sadness when he didn’t. As I grew older, there were…
