I saw the red flags but I didn't do anything

I heard a new song on the radio last week. It was suppose to be all cute and romantic but it gave me the chills. I wish I had remember the name of it but I don't right now..

But this song brought me to a blog post I had written in June of 2011 - over three years ago now. I was writing about my life with Thunderstorm, although back then I didn't call him that. But you can see some of the red flags I had already picked up on, yet I tried to write it with a positive angle since I didn't want to hurt anyone reading it, my family mainly.

Here are some parts of the post:

"Thunderstorm does not love that many people, in contrast to me whom finds love in a lot of things in life and those people I have around me. But when Thunderstorm loves, he does so very strongly. There is no grey area with him, it is either black or white. Loyal I guess you can call him and he does everything for those he loves". [confusion on my part --- he obviously did not do everything for those he loves, but rather control them]


"He is also very protective and says he would not be able to live with himself in case something happened to me, something he knew he could have prevented in the first place. It is a part I appreciate with him but at the same time it drives me crazy. I am a free spirit and want to do what I want to do, but that is not possible with him. Thunderstorm seems to see danger behind every corner and is prepared for the worst. I, on the other hand, see experiences and opportunities behind every corner and I want to at least peek every time. Sometimes this causes problems. We don't understand each other at all. Communication problems in a nutshell". [a very strong sign of an abuser when they say that they just want to protect you... it has nothing to do with you, but rather them and their control issues]


"We also have completely different love languages. I am a Physical touch person and Thunderstorm prefers Acts of Service. When I clean the apartment he takes that as I love him while I just mean that it needed to be cleaned. When I want to cuddle next to him while watching a movie he just says it is too warm. His was of showing love is appreciated during winter when he removed the snow on my car, I never have to do it." [his love language is not in the book. Yes he loves services but he would never be satisfied ever]


"Thunderstorm is a assertive and self-confident person. An alpha male. He is a great teacher and loved to teach stuff he knows and can. He has his own ways of looking at things and he is very hard to convince into another perspective unless you can prove it scientifically". [ehhh... yes, he will yell at you if you are doing something "wrong" I don't know if that is being a great teacher.. and that he has no ability to look at things from a different point of view]


"He is a hard worker and a perfectionist. I wish I could say the same about me. I just want stuff to be done fast or I'll lose interest in it. I think Thunderstorm is a notch more stubborn and proud, and pays attention to stuff around him more than what others does."  [the traits of an abuser...]

When Thunderstorm later read this post in it's full after I had posted it in 2011, he flipped out and left the house. He was "hurt" and was so upset about that now people would look at him as the person who want's favors in form of services. He hated me for it. The outburst should have been another red flag for me. But I blamed the whole thing on myself.. *my stomach is twisting*

1 of 20 - Would you ever put your hands on me?

Rough Treatment "The Loser" will hurt you on purpose. If he or she hits you, twists your arm, pulls your hair, kicks you, shoves you, or breaks your personal property EVEN ONCE, drop them. Male losers often begin with behaviors that move you physically or hit the wall. Female losers often slap, kick and even punch their male partners when upset. 

Warning Signs you are Dating a Loser by Joe M. Carver PhD.
To see all 20 signs and steps to end the relationship click here

Broken Mirror by ILoveThat

I at least have one broken computer from him seeing an email I sent to his niece he didn't want me to talk to. He didn't want me to talk to anyone in his family because he felt that they had all betrayed him (a.k.a. they did not do something that he thought they should have done to show him they loved him - he discarded them in an instant, innocent or not, ALL of them). He broke my computer completely. Stepped on it, punched it, tore it apart... And I was just sitting there... terrified. I pretty much thought I was next and yet I just sat there waiting for it.

No, I never emailed his niece again... or anyone else in his family for that matter.

There was also a hole in the wall and a smashed mirror. It happened pretty recent, maybe a year ago. Thinking of it now, I can't remember why he was angry to the point he had to smash a hole in the wall. I know I was in the bedroom afraid to go out though.  It could have been me not wearing what he wanted, or picking wall color for the kitchen, or something of that sort. I really can't remember. All I know is that the remains of that hole is still there. It has been covered up but not painted yet...

Oh.. no.. the kitchen wall paint thing.. (I just remembered) for that issue he had a golf club in his hand and threatened to hit me with hit if I didn't shut up about a painting argument. We were going to paint the kitchen and had picked out the colors the day before. We were all ready to paint when he started to get angry about the fact that we were painting. He didn't think we were ready to paint because he wanted to replace the doors first. He stormed out the house and when he came back I asked him why he had not said that we weren't ready to paint yet.

In his response he made it clear that I was pushing him into painting that day. That the days and weeks before it he had been living feeling the constant pressure from me of me wanting to paint soon. He said he couldn't handle it anymore and had just given in. (I must have been a terror to live in when getting excited about finally getting another color in the kitchen).

The kitchen eventually got painted but the doors are still not replaced yet so I am glad we didn't wait for that. So, what did I do when he held his golf club telling me he was going to hit me with it? I told him to do it! "Do it" I said. Thinking at least he would pay for what he had done to me that time, no matter if I got out of it dead or alive. He would pay for that one.

He didn't hit me but the more I asked why he had not said anything about not wanting to paint the angrier he got... Finally, he went outside for a bit leaving me on the sofa in chock, still holding the golf club in his hand. I got up and watched him in the window for a bit, then I went into another room, trying to make myself busy doing whatever. He came back inside a while later and as he entered the room I was in, I set off a yelp thinking I was going to get smashed... he apologized (one of the few times he actually apologized to me) and gave me a hug and actually started to cry or wanted to cry.. I don't think there was any tears. I told him to never do that to me ever again.

...And I forgave him.  

In a normal relationship...

"In a NORMAL HEALTHY relationship, your partner will be happy for you to have a life of your own. In a normal healthy relationship, your partner will encourage you to grow.  In a healthy relationship your partner will encourage career progression and be happy for you to see friends and family and anything else which helps you to grow. A healthy partner will not feel threatened by external influences in your life." From Dating a Sociopath

WAKE-UP CALL!!

A couple of months ago I came home from work with a letter. I was given a pretty nice 7% raise! I was so happy about it as I has been waiting for a raise for a while. It finally came and it was so nice it wasn't just the 2% that most people were getting. I felt so proud of myself and I thanked the people that I knew were involved with it happening. 

I showed him the letter. He congratulated me and in the next breath he took all the credit... How can you even do that?? He said that the only reason that I got a raise was because he had been pushing me to talk about my salary on a weekly basis for a looooong time. I never did any of that. I had the salary talk on my yearly review and that is it! He took the credit for my raise - how on earth???

Anyway.. that wasn't that bad.. I just left it at that. I have learned to shut up when there is no point in me getting upset by pushing back.

Now, he uses the raise as a sign that I don't love him. Can you believe that! That I spend to much time doing well at work that I forget to give him that attention he seeks all the time. Huh?!?!!! Yup.. I am just as surprised and dumbfounded every time he says anything about it. It's absurd!

I have a 1.5 year old niece. I have only met her twice. But I love her! I LOVED her before I even met her. About 6 months after she was born, and I had not been able to hold her in my arms yet, we had a pretty hefty argument, not about her... but once again about how horrible I am and how many wrongs I do. How I never make him feel loved enough. He brought up this little lovely girl and said: "How can you even love someone you have never met? She is no one. You put so much effort into loving her that you forget about loving me and taking care of me."

Are you f7$#$%g kidding me?????? (sorry I try not to use those words but seriously....).     

....All I can say is that I do not have a normal healthy relationship...
I pray that you do!

Sometimes you get what you need

- "That is why I never want to have kids" he says pointing at the dog who just peed on the floor because he was so scared.

The words felt like multiple knives stabbing me from within. I have heard those words so many times but it will never get easier. Probably the opposite as time goes by and my biological clock starts to beep even louder... It is somehow easier to deal with not becoming a mother, ever, when it does not get reinforced almost every day. Without the reinforcement the torture does not become so evident. You can walk thru the day without really realizing you just lost another day to try to become a mother. Ignorance is blizz...

But I don't have that luxury. I get reminded more time than I need to that my heart aches to have a child but I never will... Not because I cannot get pregnant, but because he does not want me to get pregnant. Every little chance there is to bullet proof his plan, I get reminded.

At this point I am is even too scared to tell him how I feel about it. It is wrong you might think, but you are not walking in my shoes...

When we got married a few years ago, he had already made it clear that he did not want to have any children. So I knew. But I also knew that he had said that he never wanted to get married, or settle down... but here we were married and settled down. So I will never stop hoping that he might change his mind on this too. I also, however, promised myself that I would never ask him to reconsider. Stupid maybe... and maybe I will one day.

A second thought after the first heartache is off course the question of if I want to have children with someone who absolutely does not... What good would it do unless the baby grabs a hold of his heart and never let go... then maybe it would be worth it. But if that does not happen... then what? I think you would feel so alone... and probably helpless.

But in the end God has a purpose and I believe in His purpose. I am willing to sacrifice myself to walk the path God has made for me because sometimes God does not give you want you want, but what you need. Thankfully the faith I have recently gained for God has kept me pretty strong and it forever will. Just a year ago I would crinch at the thought of talking about God and the Bible. Not anymore and for that I am so grateful. It is way more peaceful this way.