Lindsay Ross Blog

I hear people bag on Facebook a lot.  Which I understand.  But my usual response when people say Facebook makes them feel bad is “You’re following the wrong people”.  That and “don’t ever read the comments”.  Why do people think the comment sections in Facebook are a space they can say whatever they want without regards to the human people they’re hurting on the other end?  Facebook comments are usually a breeding ground for Satan’s army.  Just don’t read them.

The truth is, there are (and can be) a LOT of good things on Facebook.  Like these videos I’m sharing below.  All things friends of mine shared on Facebook.  We can and MUST use the Internet for good!

These are sure to lift the soul and inspire us to create a better day!!  Definitely worth watching.

For more inspiration, check out these TED talks definitely worth listening to!

I didn’t start this blog with the sole intent of making money.  Though that would sure be nice because it turns out blogging takes boat loads of time, I really just want to make this a place that is 100% helpful.  My intent right now is to simply build a community.  A community of people who want to live better lives.  And with that in mind, I still want to make this blog a good experience.  Easy to navigate and use. Packed with information people want to spend their time reading.

I was looking for ways to make this blog better in every way and I stumbled upon the Elite Blog Academy.  I’m not one to make a quick decision, especially when it comes to spending money, but I felt like this would be a good move for me–something that would move me in the direction I want to go.  So after stewing about it for one day, I signed up.

I don’t imagine there are a lot of bloggers who read this blog, but if there are, I highly highly HIGHLY recommend signing up for this course.

I don’t want to bore all my non-blogging readers with a ton of the details.  But.  Ruth (the designer of the course) is genuine, kind, and incredibly helpful.

I’m not even all the way through the course yet and I already think it’s underpriced for the value I’ve gotten from the course.  Two simple tricks alone have increased my blog traffic (and income) exponentially.  And the Unit on Pinterest and the Facebook group (which has now been converted into the forum) alone are worth the money.  But then there are 11 other units packed with so much information, tons of bonus material, and several live webinars to ask questions.  As well as e-mail access for any additional questions.

I definitely went into blogging a bit naive.  I had NO IDEA how much work was involved.  But Ruth walks you through it all, step-by-step, and shows you all the possibilities with blogging.  Which are truly endless.

She holds nothing back, will answer any questions, and tell you ANYthing you want to know.   And the wealth of knowledge from the other bloggers taking the course is truly priceless.  So many people willing to help.

This course is for bloggers of ALL levels.  Beginners (like me) all the way to seasoned bloggers (some in the course right now have been blogging for 7+ years and have 500,000+ page views a month).

And, there’s a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t like the course for any reason.  Which you won’t need.  Trust me.

You can read ALL about the course, what it has to offer and what it can do for you by clicking on this link:

https://ig203.isrefer.com/go/EBA/ltross/

But you have to act FAST.  Registration goes up $100 after December 5th.  So if you’re looking to make your blog a better experience for your readers, jump on this.  Now.  Seriously.  Trust me.  It’s that good.

If anyone has specific questions, I would be MORE than happy to answer them.  Just shoot me an e-mail at ltross17@yahoo.com or ask in the comments.

{The link above is an affiliate link.  But I value trust WAY too much to recommend something I don’t support 100% not just something that helps earn money.  If you choose to do the course, I would super appreciate you buying it through this link so I can spend the time I need to spend making this blog better for my readers.}

If you haven’t read the first post I did about addiction, I recommend you read that first HERE so you understand why I’m posting these articles.

This is written by the wife of an addict who is still in the trenches of fighting addiction on a daily basis.  Still using.  Still lying.  Daily struggling.  And she waits.  And hopes.  And endures as much as she can to keep her family together and support the man she loves. She’s nothing short of incredible.  Stay strong my friend.  I see you and I have all the compassion in the world.

These are “the neighbors next door”.  The family you wouldn’t suspect has an addiction problem.  You truly never know what the people around you are going through.  And if you don’t think you personally know an addict, I promise you do.  You just don’t know it.

Here we go:

“When someone is diagnosed with a disease or an illness, it’s tragic and sad. People gather around and try to ease the burdens of that person and their family. They hold fundraisers and gatherings to lift their spirits. With the disease of addiction it is a little different. You don’t usually find people at your door with a casserole in hand.

People often think the person with addiction problems is the guy on the corner holding a sign, or the homeless man on the streets. In fact, it is your neighbor, church member, friend, sibling, parent, child and even your spouse.

My name is Lindsey and my husband is an addict. My world is a little different than others, (although we all have our trials.) It can be a life of uncertainty. You never know where your life will be in a year, or a month, or even the next day. There is no “fix” for this illness. You never know when it will pop up again. It is always lurking around just waiting for the addict to get weak. As the spouse you can’t fix it, change it, make someone better, or love them enough to make them well.

Some days there is peace and things are good and life is hopeful. Other days I feel like I am going crazy with questions going through my mind like, is my husband really sober today? Is that money he withdrew from the ATM really for lunch?  Is he really going to the gym, or am I going to get a phone call today that he’s in trouble? Is he going to die from this?

You don’t talk to people because they judge, give advice, and gossip.

It can be lonely sometimes when you are in the thick of things. I have found myself sitting on my bathroom floor wondering what I should do but, knowing there is nothing I can do. I cry, I get up, I take care of the kids, I clean the house, and I face another day because there is nothing else to do. I get scared, I feel utter fear, I worry, and I pray…….a lot! I pray that he will stay sober, he won’t hate himself, he won’t get hurt, and he won’t die. I pray for my family, for my kids, and for my own sanity. I pray to know how long I fight until I have to walk away.

I know in my heart my husband doesn’t want this illness just as much as I don’t want him to have it. He wants to be free from it but, it never leaves. We educate ourselves, we get support and we keep going a day at a time.

I know that it’s not an easy life but, I have learned so much from going through it. I have learned not to judge others, to be patient, to love, to be sensitive, and to have faith in God. I know that no matter what He will be there to sustain me.

I have an amazing husband who loves his kids, works hard for his family and is trying every day to stay clean. He might not always succeed but, he is fighting. I am grateful for that. I am grateful he is still in my life, that he is working hard to be the husband he so much desires to be. I am grateful for family who support us, friends who love me, and my beautiful family who I will continue to fight for everyday!”

I sat in the stands of a high school soccer game a few years ago and was horrified at the things people were saying.  And yelling.  At the referees.  At the players.  At the coaches.  At each other.  Things I won’t even repeat on a family friendly blog.  It was the worst I’ve ever seen/heard.  I’m not one for confrontation so I eventually just had to get up and move out of the stands before I spanked someone in the face and told them how ridiculous they sounded.  I was grateful my kids weren’t with me that day to see adults acting the way they were. And it has caused an internal debate on whether I want my kids playing team sports or not.

I grew up playing soccer and have spent my life out on the field instead of the stands.  So I wasn’t prepared for what went on.  When I was on the field, I would tune everything out (sometimes even my coach).  But now that I’m a spectator at these sports, I’m seeing a whole new world.  I think it’s getting worse than when I played sports.  And I can’t say I like it.

By default I became the coach of my 7 year old daughters soccer team.  I’m competitive.  I like to win (who actually likes to lose?).  But because of this one experience in the stands (piled on with other experiences on the sidelines at various sporting events–many of them with young kids) I became increasingly mindful of what I say to my team, how I say it, and when I say it.  I tell them before every game and during every half-time “Play as hard as you can.  Have fun.  If someone steals the ball from you, you get it back.  Be a good sport.  Don’t ever, ever give up.”  That’s it. No extra rewards for goals scored (or goals saved) besides a high-five and a “good job”.  No pressure to do more than they can.  No angry yelling.  And definitely no shaming.

Thus far, I have been incredibly lucky with the parents of the kids on my team.  But already, at the age of 7, I hear things coming out of parents (and coaches) mouths on other teams that make me want to shake them and ask “Why are we signing our kids up for team sports in the first place?  What’s the point?  What are the life lessons we’re trying to teach them through playing team sports?”  If we keep those things in perspective, I think the yelling and screaming and name-calling and threats (yea, threats, at a 7 year old sporting event) would quickly come to an end.

May we all collectively be more mindful about the things we say at sporting events.  Myself included.  To the other team, the coaches, the referees, AND to our own kids.  There is always an underlying “WHY” for signing our kids up for these things.  Playing sports and on teams can be a life-altering experience for good OR bad.   May we have a good solid WHY and may we keep that always in mind before anything comes out of our mouths.

Perhaps more cheering, more encouragement, more understanding for mistakes, more compassion, less anger, more love, more kindness.  And more awareness that the things we say matter and they impact people in ways we may never know.  Especially our own kids who are always listening and paying attention to what we say and do.  We can be competitive without being a jerk.  I promise.

Onto a lighter note.  Photos that I took of our last game this season while coaching.  I’m a multi-tasker like that.

She hates pulling her hair up which drives me crazy.  I usually persuade her to, but forgot this day.

I have to remind these two to quit chatting throughout many of our games.  I think sometimes they forget they’re even playing soccer.

You can see I take my job quite serious.  (Photo credit–my 10 year old daughter)

Not sure why, but the after game “hand-shake” is always one of my favorite photos.

For a few weird reasons, we play many of our games without any subs (I use the goalie position as a rest for different players).  They dominate anyway.  Good, tough group of girls.

Man I love soccer.  And that beautiful girl.