CHICAGO - The voice that mattered the most in the soap opera surrounding Scottie Thompson and his quick jaunt to the altar with the new girl has spoken.
Despite a jilted, broken heart, Pau Fajardo somehow mustered the strength to condense all of her roiling emotions into a 10-paragraph statement that leaked with so much honesty.
It was a master class in humility and amazing grace.
As hardened as I think I am at age 52, I must admit that Pau's words moved me in a way that a box of Kleenex was required. I guess we're never too old for a good love story, even though the end is soaked in tears.
"Be positive. Be true. Be kind," she said.
Words of wisdom that we need to learn when dealing with a crisis.
Often, when trials and tribulations come hurtling our way, we speak out of impulse and emotion and scream from a place of anger, not reason.
Pau Fajardo did not.
She took a deep breath, reflected, and allowed the pain to conquer her only as a means to cope.
"I am deeply hurt. I ended a long-term relationship with the man I was ready to spend the rest of my life with. To say it has been heartbreaking is an understatement."
Who does this? And how many of you out there have the fortitude to willingly, publicly, own your torment?
Scottie Thompson may be a stud at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, but he got nothing on his former girlfriend.
Pau Fajardo has the strength of a thousand Hercules.
With a wave of sympathy from netizens squarely behind her, Pau could have twisted the plot with a sprinkle of salacious and sinister by bringing up allegations of infidelity and indiscretions on the part of her former lover.
She did not.
SHE WAS BETTER THAN THAT. HER BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING THE HIGH ROAD.
Instead of loathing, bad mouthing, and seeking ill will to the people who caused her great harm, Pau only had kind words to express.
"I'm sorry if there have been things thrown in someone's way. Please understand that I have no control on what people are sharing on social media on this issue."
Speaking of apologies, here's mine.
When I heard about this broken love affair two days ago, I tweeted and then wrote a column that summarized the complicated matter into a convenient catch phrase that said "get over it."
It was foolish.
It was wrong.
And I apologize.
My daughter Faith would have been 24, and if she were alive today I'm sure she would have rightfully called me stupid for minimizing the pain of a tragic break-up.
To encourage optimism in the face of adversity an adage was born.
"When life serves you lemons, make lemonade."
Thank you for serving us a pitcher of life lessons, Pau Fajardo.
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