This is not the post I intended to write today, but life has other plans ….
My doorbell just rang. Unexpected flower delivery! (Really, ladies, are there many things in life happier than that?)
Beautiful.
They are from my parents and sisters and brother-in-law. The card says:
TREES ARE GREEN AND SO IS GRASS,
WE THINK IT’S KEEN YOU’RE RID OF THAT ASS.
WE LOVE YOU!
Honestly, folks—do I have the very greatest family or what?

NO. That’s a horrible thing. He’s the father of your children and the father of their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins – whatever…
That’s hatred. Plain and simple. It send a horrible message to your children.
Yes, but he’s also a cheater and a liar who has treated their daughter and sister horribly. That, in my opinion, accurately labels him as an ass! I say good riddance as well!
Actually, it sends the message that her family loves and supports her and that when you need a pick-me-up, your family will have your back. The children have no idea this has anything to do with their father. If they ask Meredith why she got flowers, she will tell them that her sisters and parents just wanted to brighten her day.
I usually don’t respond to posts on Meredith’s blog but this one is unacceptable. Not one person in our family badmouths their father – or the girlfriend for that matter – to the children. Ever. We consistently tell them how much he loves and adores them. How much fun they have with the girlfriend, and that isn’t it cool that they get to be flower girls and bridesmaids and best men in their wedding? That of course we do not hate him (because they say they don’t understand why we don’t) and that he’s a great dad. We tell the kids all of these things. Often.
But what we say as grown-ups to our sister/daughter is between us and we are allowed to lift her up when she’s having a rough day.
Well said, Caroline.
^^ LIKE!! ^^
Kudos, first and foremost, to you guys for being there with a big love noogie when Mere needed it.
Blue Ribbon on the chest of dad, who shows us once and for all where Mere gets her writing muse.
Great message to the kids, of how to show love to family in need. The note is akin to adult whispers while the kids are playing outside.
Wait a minute all, he is right!
ha•tred
noun \ˈhā-trəd\
1 : a feeling of intense dislike; enmity
2 : quiet encouragement for your children in times of need
3 : facing personal trials with a sense of humour
4 : tulips in a variety of colours
He IS the father of my children, their grandchildren, their nieces and nephew–that doesn’t mean he’s not an ass. He was also their son and brother (by marriage if not by blood, but certainly treated no differently), and his actions hurt them, too. There is no horrible message being sent to my children–they will never see the card, and my family operates under very strict instructions from me to never, ever disparage The Ex in the children’s presence.
Ditto on Caroline and Keith’s comments. I am tempted to say a lot more about “Theboyfriend” but then why waste time on a lost cause.
Your family is fabulous.
You are fabulous.
That rhyme totally made me laugh, and those flowers are gorgeous! Enjoy!
=)
Your father wrote that witty rhyme. You should see some of the other contenders. Mom literally said, “I don’t think the florist will print that.”
And that’s the 2nd funniest thing I’ve read all day.
So lovely!!! xoxo
I think it’s cute! Just as long as the kids don’t read the card…
Absolutely. The flowers arrived while they were at school. This is their weekend with their dad, so they may never even see the flowers by the time they come back home on Monday. The card was removed immediately. It is not, nor was it ever intended, for the kids’ eyes.
That’s not hatred…that’s comic relief. Lighten up!!
No one gets it quite as well as they do. Priceless! Thanks for sharing!!!
Love it! I think it is a sweet show of solidarity. No names are mentioned. For all anyone knows, it could be about that pesky donkey you had, braying in the backyard. It doesn’t seem like hatred to me – just more of a way to get you to smile with a relatively benign (and humorous) diss to your ex. I’m glad it did! Keep smiling and enjoy the flowers for what they are: a show of support from those who truly love you.
that is so kick ass! they are quite lovely too.
Your family is fabulous.
You are fabulous.
=)
(Those flowers are absolutely gorgeous…and the fact that your daddy came up with that rhyme just for you makes me laugh! You truly are blessed with such a supportive and wonderful family.)
I think @theboyfriend is an ass. Seriously, lighten up. It was a small card that arrived with flowers, not a singing telegram performed during family dinner time. And please stop defending her ex husband, who has consistently shown ass-like behavior since he cheated on his pregnant wife. If you think he’s such a great guy, please go comment on his blog, and stop trying to convince Meredith he’s an okay guy. He is not.
Lol…so I thought my first comment didn’t post…so I posted another one…but the first one did post. Haha…oops!
Today’s blog entry has to be the funniest thing I have read! Thanks for the laugh, Meredith and family!
Made me LOL! The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with an amusing verse like that. Hang in there and have a fun filled weekend!
LOVE it! You’re family is definitely supportive of you and they showed you they were thinking of you during a difficult time.
It seems that Meredith gets a lot of comments on this blog implying or flat out telling her she is wrong to be hurt, angry, ect. It’s so great that her family doesn’t expect her to change who she is, or how she feels about her ex… the just let her feel what she needs to feel. They support her in a healthy way and this day was supported with humor:) Thank God for family!
Coolest.family.EVAR!
The Boyfriend is an internet troll trolling blog comments for knee jerk reactions to their asinine comments.
Keep it clean, ex-boyfriend.
Those tulips are gorgeous and your family is amazing! You deserved a big lift to your spirits, and they delivered–literally! Support from family and friends is so very important at times like these. Best wishes to all of you!
I got flowers from my friends the day the divorce was final… YAY FLOWERS!!
Love the flowers -
Love the humor –
Love the fact they made your day a little brighter-
Love you my friend!
they ARE the best! so glad you have them (both the family and the flowers
TheBoyfriend needs to get a real life.
Mere, your family is great, you are great. It’s ok to be angry and hating, as long as it’s not passed on to the kids, and you have done a better job than most people in that respect.
TheBoyfriend, f*** off.
I love everything about this post. the surprise flowers, the gorgeos picture, the hilarious poem but mostly appreciate your precious family and the special way they have shown you love and support. hugs.
I am sure the internet and everything that has been written on it today will be gone in a few years when your children are grown and old enough to use a computer. I’m sure they will never google your name or ever possibly find your blog. Secrets always stay secrets. I am sure you’re right that your kids will never find all of the hateful crap you’ve said about their dad. Stuff like this never comes back to bite anyone in the ass. I’m sure you’re safe. I mean, since all the bitter, hateful women and your family back you up and all, there shouldn’t be a problem. You can just tell your kids, “well… see… everyone else agrees with me that your dad is an ass, so it’s ok.”
That’s a great plan.
Best of luck with it.
Jack
Don’t forget the bitter, hateful men – Craig, Keith, Ian, her father, and brothers in law.
Also, I’m sure your kid (Jack) will never see that you ponder actual the MURDER of his mom – quote from your blog: “SIDEBAR: I did the math the other day. It turns out that if I had just strangled her to death on the day that I met her… I’d be out of prison by now.”
Reminds me of a quote about people in glass houses . . .
For Jack, specifically:
Hey Jack. Been reading your blog, since I’m a guy and all. I read that your motto is “Always take the high road”. Really? That all you’ve got? That what you’re doing?
An humble suggestion: Read your blog and take more of your own advice.
Yes you do and I am happy for you. My husband left us 2 days after Christmas, and last night my only sibling hosted a birthday celebration for the SoonToBeEx, with our children, my parents, and the cake I had ordered for the kids’ celebration with him. I am so happy that everyone’s families don’t do it so wrong!
My girlfriend couldn’t decide if the poem was funnier, or the fact I forwarded it to my only sibling on celebration eve.
Can you block people from posting? Seems like it may be a good option to avoid some of the stupidity.
You know, I’ve thought about it and I’ve been tempted. So far, though, I haven’t done it for the following reasons:
(1) It IS a public forum. The folks I’d rather not see commenting aren’t being harassing exactly, just disrespectful and extremely annoying. Free country, free speech, etc.;
(2) For the most part, readers seem to police the site pretty well. It’s far more gratifying to see others step up and tell the idiots why they’re being idiots than it would be for me to simply block certain commenters (and then presumably have to deal with direct emails from those folks snarking about how I blocked their comments simply because I didn’t agree with them); and
(3) It’s just a hunch, but I’m guessing that the kind of person who goes onto another’s blog, knowing ahead of time that there is likely to be a difference of opinion, reads comments to get a sense of what the temperature of the community is, and then sounds off anyway for the sole purpose of being an ass (and doesn’t even try to be a constructive ass—just a snarky ass) is probably the kind of person that would post comments under some other name/identity if I blocked the first one. (You know, a person without anything better to do.)
It’s always an option, though.
I get it. And I definitely agree with #3. It’s just annoying to read, as someone who understands the loss of a person-as-you-used-to-know-them. I think some people haven’t grieved the loss of a person who didn’t die, and have no idea what it’s like to continue to have to live with that person to some extent. Small things still hurt for some intangible reason, and compassion goes a long way. It gets frustrating for me feeling empathy for what you’re going through (while not really understanding at all, let’s be real, it’s impossible), immediately followed by frustration with other people’s lack thereof. Just my 2 cents.
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