Recently a woman has come into my life through my children. From the first time I met her, I sensed this was someone who was manipulative. I felt I would need to be cautious with my words because they may be twisted. After having this feeling, I would not typically pursue a relationship, but this person was the parent of a dear friend of one of my kids so it was important to me that the kids be free to have a relationship, and I knew being friendly would help to support them.

Very soon after meeting this woman, my suspicions were confirmed by others who knew her well. She had hurt people, emotionally. My concerns were well founded. Knowing this, I continued my efforts to maintain a friendly relationship, but tread cautiously.

As I knew at some point may happen, she turned on our family. Through others we discovered she was spreading rumors about us, probably in efforts to gain more control over the relationship our kids had beautifully grown into. I can only speculate on her motivation, but the more control she tried to inflict, the harder it became for our kids to see each other and the more painful it was to watch.

Recently I faced her for the first time in weeks. I am non-confrontational to a fault, and her lack of communication with me had me thinking she was the same. It may have been cowardice on her point, or she may truly believe me evil, but if this person was insisting on being present in the relationship of our kids, I would make the effort to reach out. So, after the social gathering we were both attending was over, I went over to thank her for taking my child with her family on an outing. She looked at me in such a way I don’t think anyone has before, with such disgust like I was a cockroach that had crossed her path. I said my quick thank you, said that I hoped she had a nice week and skirted away.

I don’t care what she thinks of me. I am secure in my faith in God and know all who truly know me would not believe any gossip she may spread, and those are the people that matter, but it still hurt, and that was frustrating. For an hour I felt sick about it, until I replayed the scene in my head one last time. The look on her face – it was ugly. She is not physically ugly by any means, but that face she made… For someone to look at me like that – it had nothing to do with me, I have never wronged her. That was the look of someone fighting an internal battle, one that places the fault of all her conceived wrongs and injustices at the feet of others. She is filled with hate towards others because she cannot face the truth of her own responsibility for those battles.

The weight was immediately lifted from my shoulders, and I said a prayer for her.