December 5th: The Day My Life Changed Forever

By Linda Kennedy

This is a story of one woman's love for her family, while she attempts to make sense of right and wrong. The final domino fell that fateful morning for her when her husband walked back into the house. Now everything in the life she had known had changed and was forever gone. Here is the story of pain, frustration, and complete helplessness she endured in the midst of uncertainty and where her life was going next.

The housing crisis of 2008 was the domino that tipped the United States economy

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781681398464

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DECEMBER 5

th

The Day My Life

Changed Forever

Linda Kennedy

Preface

Do you think you are the one that has

control over your life? If you do, then you are sadly mistaken.

Most of us go through life believing that we have control over our destiny, but believe me we don’t.

Have you ever noticed that when you think your life is going along pretty good, something will come along and push us back to where we have to scramble to find a solution to whatever the issue may be?

As we go through life, we realize that there will be a time that we will have to make some major decisions. We realize we will have to deal with death along the way. We just don’t know when or how. And unfortunately, we always think it won’t be us that has to deal with these crazy things in life that we know are going to take place. We just keep pushing them to back of our minds hoping that somehow, or someway, WE are going to be the one to escape this part of life that we have always known was coming, but we just didn’t want to see it for it really is, NOR do we realize that we were rushing to it.

When were young, we all were thinking we are invincible, all of us, not just one us? Oh, we know in the back of minds it can happen, but we try not to dwell on the issues we really don’t want to deal with. Like losing our jobs, losing our home, and losing someone that we love, more than anything in the world. We’re too wrapped up in our everyday lives to worry about what if it happens to me. That’s why when it does happen, it SHAKES our world to its CORE.

It’s funny if you think back about the things you talked about and worried about in your twenties and thirties; then as you go on, through the years, things slowly change, and what mattered then no longer worries us, or we just don’t think about these things anymore, as we have moved on to different things to think on or worry about.

And the funny thing is that one day you will look in the mirror and the person that you knew is not in that mirror but someone who resembles you. It’s scary, life creeps up on you, and you don’t even realize it until it’s too late. Not that you could do anything to stop it, because you can’t. Your friends change along with you, but you don’t really seem to notice, as it really doesn’t matter, as that is them and not you. Because you think it’s just them, not you. It happens to all of us. And none of us gets to escape this either, and even though we would all love to.

Life catches you by surprise, and even though we THINK we are ready for it, none of us really are. And for those of us that have survived marriage and children, the surprises will be abounding.

I am going to tell you my story about my life for the last three years and how much life has changed us, our family and our lives. I would love to be able to use our real names, but I can’t. I would love to tell this story using the real people’s names, but I can’t. And I would love to tell the unabridged version of this story, but life won’t let me. Or should I say the thought of being sued won’t let me. But I feel I have the right to tell my story, as I am sure, we are not the only people that have experienced what we have lived through for the past three years. Yes, the names have been changed, to protect the innocent. And even though it may seem like it is your story, it is not.

I was told very early in life that before we leave this world we will all be judged for the things that we do. I really didn’t believe that as a child, but I will tell you I believe it as an adult. And I do feel sorry for some of these people getting their paybacks, but I have lived long enough to see some get paid back. And I truly believe that all of us get our up and comings whether we believe it or not. And most of the time, we don’t even see it coming.

This story is for those that have been going through this hell along with us. It’s for those who are struggling with these same issues or issues like them. We all have our own issues. Some are worse than others, but we all have them.

I hope we all survive a little while longer. And before you pass judgment on anyone, make sure you know the real facts. Most people never know the real truth, just what they want to assume.

And even I have assumed things that weren’t true. And then there were things that were true and people just didn’t want to believe them because most people can handle a lie better than they can handle the truth. FACT!

It’s like when someone you love has done something horrible and we just don’t want to believe it as we would have never ever thought this person would have betrayed us the way they did. Or if it’s bad enough, they won’t believe it, even if it is in black and white.

It’s like you know your best friend’s husband is fooling around. You finally get up enough nerve to tell them, and they call you a liar. They stop talking to you because you gave them this bad news. And no matter how they find out the truth, they never feel the same around you. And that’s sad, as you only had their best interest at heart.

Life is funny, and you really have to be careful about the things you tell, as they could cost you a friendship, or a loved one. Sometimes seeing things for what they really are is scary. But people are motivated by greed, and selfishness, most of the time, as they feel they never have enough of what they have.

Chapter 1

Have you ever heard the saying God never gives

you more than you can handle? My whole life my mother has told me that over and over. And let me be the first to tell you that he sometimes gives us so much that we don’t want any more. In fact I will honestly say that I have felt like my life has been sucked right out of me at times, in the last three years and one month.

You may think that I am exaggerating this, but believe me, I am not. I feel as though I have lived a lifetime during this span of time.

On December 5, 2011, our lives, changed. It took only a matter of seconds. But it changed, and I don’t think it will ever be the way it was.

Thanksgiving was over, and now everyone was getting ready for Christmas. The boys came over the weekend of Thanksgiving, and put my and my husband’s tree up. I had started shopping and was so excited about the holidays. I had done the cards, had everything decorated, had wrapped gifts, ordered gifts, had made my to-do list of what needed to be bought, what needed to be found. I had done my daughter-in-law’s birthday, was getting ready for my sister’s birthday and my mother’s birthday, had all those gifts bought and ready.

Yes, I thought I was in good shape. I didn’t realize that my whole life was getting ready to change.

I was talking to my sister that morning, and I had just told her that I hadn’t heard from Madison my husband and that it wasn’t like him not to call by now, that I hoped nothing was wrong. And no sooner did I get it out of my mouth than I heard the back door open. I told my sister I would call her back.

I went into the kitchen, and here was Madison, with a box in his hands, I said, What are you doing home? and he said that his boss had said they didn’t need him anymore, that they were going in a different direction. I looked at his face. He was devastated.

I looked at him and asked him if he had done anything wrong. He said, no that he didn’t have a clue that this was getting ready to happen, that he was totally blindsided.

I asked him if he thought it was where he had hurt his foot. He said, No, I don’t think so. I asked him if he thought it was his age. He said he didn’t know but that he was asked to sign these legal papers, and when I read them, in big bold lettering was a section on AGE DISCRIMINATION. This paper also, stated that his family, and his children’s family, no one could ever discuss any of this with anyone. I looked at him, and asked him if he signed them, and he said no, he hadn’t. I asked Madison, What in the world is he trying to hide? (His boss) Why would anyone, want you to sign a paper with that type of stipulation in it? I told him, You have never discussed any of their affairs with me or the kids, that I am aware of, except for Meghan, our daughter-in-law. She worked for this man’s son in the same office, and at times, she would ask Madison questions pertaining to that business. But I never paid attention. And every once in a while his assistant would tell me some stuff, but nothing really hair-raising.

Madison doesn’t discuss his employer’s business with others unless he has dealings with them. He does all my families taxes, and he will not tell me a thing. As he said, if they wanted me to know, they could tell me. Even some of his clients that are friends with us have told him things and asked him not to repeat them, and he wouldn’t say anything to me; then we would be out somewhere, and they would say, Well, didn’t Madison tell you about that? and I would go, No, this is the first I have heard about any of this. He has been like that our whole thirty-seven years of marriage. He’s always been very private.

And it never bothered me because I knew that was his clients and that’s the way his business was. It had always been that way. Madison had always been honest, and I wondered if that had been the problem. When people want you to do something one way and you know you can’t or won’t because of your integrity. I have seen him turn down clients that wanted him to do underhanded things. And he wouldn’t.

Which is why none of this made any sense to me? You see Madison went to work for a family that he had known for thirty years, the father and mother. Madison knew a lot about the family, the children, and the grandchildren. He knew personal things most people wouldn’t know