Monday, May 16, 2011

The Places I Have Been...

                I know it has been a while since my last post, and many of you have certainly brought this to my attention :) ... But I must confess the reason why it has taken me so long to get back on here and give you something new to read... because, well, I have been ensued in an internal battle with myself...  The next thing I very much wanted to share with you all is also something quite personal... even a bit embarassing I must admitt.  But my time of thought and debating the issue is over and I have decided to just share with you all this wonderful moment in my life... Not be embarassed, but proud of where I have been, what I have made it through, and where I am now...
                As most of you know, Mick is my second husband... but honestly, as he once lovingly said to me, "No.  You are my first." ... Words that took my breath away because of the message of love behind them.  That even though we have both been married before, we both truely feel that right now our lives have finally begun, that for the first time we are truely "married" and have found love, and know what that truely is.  We both know we still have more to learn about the mysteries of love but we are happier than we have ever been in our lives and we learn "love" more and more everyday as we are giving it to each other...  Mick I love you, and I will never stop thanking our loving Heavenly Father for sending you into my life, you have shown me, as no one has ever before, what real, true love is
                Since moving here to the wild, beautiful, foreign land that is Australia I have been swept up in happiness, my future bright all about me, and yet there were still bits of my past still peeking out from the shadows.  One of the biggest issues I have had to face is my three names.  Yes, three names.  My former married name, my maiden name, and my new married name.  My old married name seemed to be staring back at me everywhere... on my bank card, on my passport... But most of all on my Unites States driver's liscence.  An old photo id I had to confront each time I opened my wallet reminding me of my past, a dark and sad time in my life staring up at me, like a ghost. 
                I was tired of being that person, almost emotional and angry when ever I still had to sign that old name onto paper.  I was done with it and I wanted it behind me.  I wanted to be a part of my husband, have his name, the name of the man I love.  Over time, since being here, the only document that had proof of my true name was on our marriage certificate...  We began the long battle of changing my name at the bank, and on my liscence but were turned away over and over and over again... We needed more proof... more paperwork!  It was maddening... and so for months I lugged around my three names...  My three identities... Kind of like a super spy... but no... not really.
              Finally sucess... a huge sucess... we got my name changed on my passport... Thank you America, my home sweet home.  And so armed with my new, appropriately named passport we set out again... got turned away again, but perservered... finally made it to the bank with all the right proof, and finally got my bank card with the correct name!  And so it was... a few weeks ago that we set out to the Department of Transportation armed with my new proof... Ready to declare to the world, "I am Brooke Travis damit!!!"  And finally... FINALLY, like a magic wand waved across... I became Brooke Travis, once and for all.  No longer does that old past stare up at me, but the brightness of my future, reminding me of the blessings God has given me, and that truley, Yes: BLESSINGS COME AFTER TRIAL.  I am living proof of that. 


My old photo...

My new photo



11 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, I am in tears. Those two pictures tell the whole story. I am so grateful that you shared this, it's such a powerful miraculous story. You and I had so many late nights filled with heartbreak never imagining the wonderful blessings Heavenly Father had in store for you. I am so grateful. I love you my beautiful girl.

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  2. I am balling my eyes out!!!!! I am So grateful that Mick sees in you what we all did! Your resilience and beauty, inside and out, inspire and amaze me! Those 2 pictures tell the WHOLE story, don't they? I could not be prouder! I love you sis.

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  3. I just can't get over it! You look like YOU again! It is thrilling to me!

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  4. I don't know the whole story, BUT---in your new passport pic (which is amazing as far as passport photos go), I see the Brooke I knew so many years ago. A happy, beautiful girl with a light in her eyes and an itch for some adventure.

    It makes me spewin (did I use it the right way?) that someone would hurt you so deeply, Brooke. I'm delighted you found someone who loves you bigger than you could ever have imagined.

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  5. Wow, I saw those pictures down at the bottom before I was finished and was confused, because I thought that second picture was a picture of you from high school. I SERIOUSLY did. WOW. Brooke, you and your story more than anything or anyone make me so hopeful for my own future. I love you!

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  6. I'm not even that close to you and this post made me tear up! I am so happy for you, I like what your mom said. When we are going through the heartbreak if only we knew what blessings were coming up next. I guess we just have to trust and know that they are!
    -Annalise
    p.s. More pictures please!

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  7. Brooke. Thank you for having the courage to share that with us. I am so proud and happy and inspired by your experiances and new love. I am inspired by your story and by the love you and Mick have for eachother. What's amazing is that Brooke Travis and Brooke Alldredge are the same person, just seperated by time and experiance. That third Brooke "identity" is dead forever. You are a beautiful angel. Isaac

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  8. I am overwhelmed and so thankful for all of your comments! Thank you so much you guys... And Julia, hahah... yes you did use "spewin" right! :)

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  9. Oh Brookie... our journey started out as a story about love all those years ago on separate lands and now that we have found each other we are beginning our love story! I love you.

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  10. too much to say.. I am soooo profoundly moved by your post. The picture at the bottom is the girl we once knew and loved but thought we had lost.. Thanks, Mick for finding her and bringing her back.

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  11. Brooke you are a fighter. You have so much inner strength, more than what people give you credit for. Big or small our souls will never part. You bring out my best despite my flaws. I am in love with who you are today... Your cuteness, your charm, your passion, your smile, your beauty, your mind, your strengths and weaknesses. Our love make us complete.
    Thankyou for never giving up the fight for happiness!

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