Andrea Merriman speaks nationally and internationally to Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions and other organizations regarding personal and professional ethics and integrity. For more information, please contact Andrea at acmerriman@msn.com or (801)919-7773.
Hello Andrea, Thank you for sharing the details of your tragedy, it mirrors mine almost exactly. My husband was taken by authorities on the morning of November 16, 2009. I have lived with that event ever since and will continue to try and overcome it. My children are now 19,13 and 5. We still live in the same neighborhood and my children beg me to, “stay with Daddy”, Daddy will not be released until 2018. No one can prepare for this ,but it is comforting to know that someone out there has taken the same steps I have. Keep your head high, put your children’s needs first, and believe you are deserving of success and happiness once again. I admire your strength…. good things will come for us!
Kelly Sassman
Hello friend, and thank you for commenting. I am sorry to hear you have lived through a similar tragedy! What a hard thing to have in common. And yes, I , too believe good things will come for us! We just have to keep working for it:)
Kelly, thank you for your comment to my blog. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to respond (for some reason, I didn’t see it until recently) and I am so sorry that you experienced anything similar to me! True, no one can prepare for it but it IS comforting to have a friend in the experience. Thank you for your good example of carrying on. And I too, believe good things will come to us! I hope you and your family continue to do well. Good for you and your children! Keep up the good work!
I suspect this criminals ex wife and children have lived more and experienced more of life than most people could ever even fathom. I’m sure they’re just find and always will be. The bulk of the world has the opportunity to experience less than a thousandth of what these children have lived and seen. Not sure I can offer any degree of sympathy for such individuals. They’ll be just fine
Thank you for taking the time to comment on this blog and for sharing what you “suspect” to be the reality. That’s the funny thing about things we suspect, we are right in our suppositions and we are wrong. You are right that my children and I got to experience a lot of fun things in life, more than many people could ever fathom, probably. I think many, many people get that experience too. And you are right, that we are just fine and always will be. We have made it a point to be intentional in our recovery and to choose resilience. I advocate that for everyone facing a tough situation. We also are so grateful that you didn’t offer any sympathy as we are not looking for it. We simply have shared some of our life’s experiences in the hopes of exemplifying resilience, turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and choosing to live happily ever after WHATEVER comes your way. I wish you well in your life and thank you, again, for reaching out to offer your perspective. Sharing different perspectives and opinions, with civility, is life enriching. I appreciate your view! Have a wonderful day!
I tend not to drop many remarks, however i did a few searching and wound
up here Andrea Merriman | The Unexpected Life.
And I do have 2 questions for you if you usually do not mind.
Is it simply me or does it look like a few of these comments come across like they are coming from brain dead people?
😛 And, if you are writing at other social sites, I would like to follow everything new you have to post.
Could you list of the complete urls of your
public pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate every comment (and the time it takes for someone to provide it). Have a wonderful day!
Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate
you spending some time and energy to put this information together.
I once again find myself spending way too much
time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was
still worth it!
Just saw your story on tv , you are a true testament to perseverance glad you see the true meaning to life
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I wish I could take the credit for my outlook on life, but I owe it all to my good parents who taught me and prepared me well!
All those dead animals. Shame on you both. Wonder where those ‘trophies’ ended up.
Claire, thank you for sharing your comment and perspective with me. However, I must correct your misunderstanding: there is no “Shame on Me” for all of those dead animals. I am not a proponent of weapons, hunting or death. I have never killed an animal, never touched a dead animal, never touched a gun or a bullet or a bow or an arrow… that was an activity my former spouse, alone, strictly indulged in. However, I was told all those “trophies” went to museums. I am thankful that people can enjoy them and learn more about animals and nature now that those items are in educational institutions being shared with the masses. Thank you, again, for your comment. Have a peaceful and happy day!
Thank you for taking the time to find me and my blog and to offer your perspective. But please let me correct your mistaken assumption: Although I am not a vegetarian, I have never hunted or killed an animal. And as to where the trophies ended up, you’d have to contact the federal government who seized everything of value my former husband had accumulated through any of his activities. As for me, I’m hoping they’re in a museum somewhere, adding to the education of others and enriching the life experience of those who may view them. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.
hello andrea, im saw you program in h&h tv, you are a beatifull woman , i wish find a woman with you. smart and simple. welcome to venezuela . gerald.
Thank you for the kind words. Have a wonderful day!
How could you not know what was going on?
Thank you for your question. I know it seems hard to comprehend, especially with the wonderful hindsight we all have, but I didn’t know. I think it’s hard to see what someone is intentionally hiding from you, and it’s hard to see what you’re not looking for. I believed I was married to an honest, good man, and never imagined he would be anything other than what he professed to be and acted like he was. I think a lot of people saw what I saw–the IRS didn’t catch what he was when they audited him for an entire year prior to 2009 and his shocking revelation, his employees didn’t know, his accountant didn’t know, and I, who didn’t have any involvement in his “business” or any access to his bank accounts, certainly didn’t know either. Hopefully this situation will make all of us the wiser going forward.