It was a stormy night. It was raining cats and dogs. My eyes were swollen with continuous weeping. I was tired but could not sleep. I was thinking about ending my life as I felt useless and helpless.
One year ago, I was a happy lady managing a lucrative job with husband, two kids and the household chores. My kids were school going and everything was in place. With my husband and I earning, we had a reasonable income every month to spend on our kids, our home and ourselves. We could shop and dine out when desired. Every weekend, it was our routine to visit the strawberry farms with kids. We would have a lovely family picnic plucking fresh strawberries, enjoying the grass and the sunshine. There were problems too, but we managed to be happy and united.
Then came the year 2024 and the world went through a lot of pain, uncertainty, chaos and misery. We also got our fair share of suffering in the hands of Covid-19. I lost my job and so did my life partner. It was devastating. Our income had come to zero and we had to live on our savings. We pulled on a few months like that but soon we were running out of the finances. Businesses were mostly shut and there was not any hope to get a job. Those running were already cutting costs through downsizing or through other means. Till then, we had been united like a family giving hope and help to each other. But the problem arose when the finances came to end.
I started having fights with my husband. We would fight on every petty issue. I was losing it all. I would yell at kids ignoring the fact that they were also at the suffering end just like me. Without knowing, I was developing depression and anxiety issues. My husband once tried to discuss this with me but I was even more furious to know that he thought I had mental health issues. Little did I realize that he only intended good for me.
Days were passing like ages. There was gloominess all around. My husband was trying his best to find a job. Finally he found one not as good as the previous one but he agreed to join to support our home falling apart. When I would look at how our family was suffering with money, relationship health and peace of mind, I felt like my heart would explode.
One day my kids insisted on having McDonald’s which we did not have money for. I tried to convince them for the food we had at home but they went to sleep empty stomach instead. It had already been raining for two days straight and I was depressed like anything. The rain, the storm, the thunder, the helplessness I felt at that time was adding to my disappointment. I was tired of crying episodes. I finally decided to end my life forever.
I reached out to my husband’s drawer where I knew he kept a gun. As I opened the drawer I found a gift wrapped. I was surprised. I turned it over to find a card over it. It stated: “For my dear wife, who always tries her best to comfort her family, without whom I am nothing and who is my everything.” For a moment I was enraged, that in a time when we are hardly pulling on, how he could spend on buying a present. But the next moment his love scrapped the darkness of disappointment off my heart. I clenched the gift close to me and wept bitterly. This time not out of dismay, but out of gratefulness to have such a man in my life.
After the flush of emotions, I crazily tore the wrapping off to see what was inside, without even waiting for my husband to “present” it to me. I found a diamond painting do-it-yourself kit inside. It was Excellent kit as it was bought from Diamondpaintingbliss.com. I was a bit surprised at the choice of the present since I was not an artistic person at all. Later, I told my husband how I found a present in his drawer and opened it. My husband smiled and said it was okay since it was for me. I thanked him for the love and the gift.
It was then when I started my diamond painting journey. We both along with our kids sat down to open the kit. The moment we opened the kit, we were mesmerized by the dazzling rhinestones. My husband could see the shine reflecting in my eyes. I had felt so happy after so long. He was happy to see me happy. Together we started exploring different constituents of the kit: the canvas, the applicator pen, the paddy wax, the adhesive and lots of sparkling rhinestones. We figured out how to do it, and to my surprise, despite not having any skills in art, we did pretty great at diamond painting. Gradually I realized I had become happy again. Diamond painting brought me back a sense of purpose and a sense of achievement, I had been longing for. Sometimes you just have to see what else is there for you to explore on your journey, in my case artistic journey.
I still remember the day I completed the diamond painting, my husband got my Diamond painting framed and we displayed it on a wall in the lounge. I broke into tears and hugged my husband. I told him how I had opened his drawer that day to get a gun and end my life and found the gift inside. My husband was in tears. He told me that he loves me so much and can’t even imagine to live without me. He further added that he was nothing without me and he would have died without me if I have done anything wrong to me.
My happiness had returned; the joys and giggles of my home had returned. Although the circumstances are the same, I’m happy now. I can never thank my husband and diamond painting technique enough for bringing me back to life.
