The day I've feared most has arrived...

[TJinTX]

Last Friday evening, a deputy sheriff pulled up to my house, and served me with court papers, saying that my ex-wife is sueing me for custody of my daughter. For the past six years, I've dreaded this day, knowing that it was coming sooner or later. It sucks to not sleep at night, but the day is now here. If you are the praying kind, any prayers would be appreciated. I'm not asking anyone to pray that I keep custody of my daughter; rather, please pray that the outcome will be in the best interest of my daughter....

[Falcone]

wow, that is heavy...good luck

[To be named later]

Consider it done, bro.

[Matias]

Bad news TJ. I hope everything goes fine for you.
But please, both you and your ex, whatever happens, keep your daughter away from traumatic experiences.
I´m not the praying kind, but I support you in my own way.

[phillyspurslover]

yikes....good luck, bro.

[Lord Deimos]

I know how I'd feel if it happened to me.

Good luck, and try to keep your head up.

[bonnington]

Originally Posted by TJinTX

Last Friday evening, a deputy sheriff pulled up to my house, and served me with court papers, saying that my ex-wife is sueing me for custody of my daughter. For the past six years, I've dreaded this day, knowing that it was coming sooner or later. It sucks to not sleep at night, but the day is now here. If you are the praying kind, any prayers would be appreciated. I'm not asking anyone to pray that I keep custody of my daughter; rather, please pray that the outcome will be in the best interest of my daughter....

I don't pray. But I will have you and your daughter in my thoughts and my heart. The best of the lucks to you and your daughter. Be brave.

[SAScrub]

My prayers are with you.

[SimTek]

Originally Posted by TJinTX

please pray that the outcome will be in the best interest of my daughter....

You are already light years ahead of most people. I'll pray for all of you.

[Blake]

aw man......thoughts and prayers to you and your kid, TJ. I dont know what Id do if I couldnt see my daughter every day.

[ladyspur]

My prayers are with you. I think everything is going to be allright, I have faith.

[boo_radley]

I hope that your daughter gets the best she can out of this situation. From what I can tell that would be to live with you, hopefully the judge has some sense.

[micah76]

I don't pray but I hope for the best for you. You are in a strong position. They rarely move children out of stable homes just because. They normally need a very good reason to do it. So I feel for the Stress you are going through, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. All I can say is if you don't have a lawyer get one they help alot.

[SpursStalker]

You got it TJ and whatever moral support I can give you just dont hesitate to call on me ... I know what you're going through

Loads of hugs and keep your chin up darlin ... I'm keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers

[TJinTX]

Thank you all for the prayers, and well-wishes. I went through this battle in our original divorce, and I'm certainly not looking forward to doing it again. It's ugly, brutal, and can be dehumanizing to both parties. At the time, my daughter was 3, so she was blissfully unaware of the animosity, and I'm very thankful for that.

My best hope is for a summary judgement from the judge, stating that this is a frivolous case, and doesn't deserve a hearing. My ex has not put forth any compelling reason to uproot a child from a stable home, particularly when that child is on the "A-B" Honor Roll, made the TAKS "Commended" list, is involved in every extra-curricular activity known to man, etc. Worst case, of course, is a full-blown trial, where everyone's dirty laundry gets aired.

Someone asked me how I was feeling about the whole thing. My response was basically that I'm pissed off that my ex would cause such disruption and stress for no good reason. Every once in a while, I do have moments of fear, simply because this is west Texas, and most folks here believe a child should be with their mother. Of course, they don't know THIS mother. Part of me is really wanting to go to war, just so she'll realize that she can't do things on a whim; the other part of me just prays for an early judgment.

Attorneys are already involved, so hopefully all will go well. What the hell; it's just another $20,000....

[shelden]

I will pray for you and your daughter, TJ, and ask the members of my small Christian community to pray with me.

[bnwhuxley]

I hope, and expect, things to turn out well for you, TJ.

[micah76]

Originally Posted by TJinTX

Thank you all for the prayers, and well-wishes. I went through this battle in our original divorce, and I'm certainly not looking forward to doing it again. It's ugly, brutal, and can be dehumanizing to both parties. At the time, my daughter was 3, so she was blissfully unaware of the animosity, and I'm very thankful for that.

My best hope is for a summary judgement from the judge, stating that this is a frivolous case, and doesn't deserve a hearing. My ex has not put forth any compelling reason to uproot a child from a stable home, particularly when that child is on the "A-B" Honor Roll, made the TAKS "Commended" list, is involved in every extra-curricular activity known to man, etc. Worst case, of course, is a full-blown trial, where everyone's dirty laundry gets aired.

Someone asked me how I was feeling about the whole thing. My response was basically that I'm pissed off that my ex would cause such disruption and stress for no good reason. Every once in a while, I do have moments of fear, simply because this is west Texas, and most folks here believe a child should be with their mother. Of course, they don't know THIS mother. Part of me is really wanting to go to war, just so she'll realize that she can't do things on a whim; the other part of me just prays for an early judgment.

Attorneys are already involved, so hopefully all will go well. What the hell; it's just another $20,000....

It's amazing our cases mirror each other almost exactly. Including that god awful amount of money.

[TJinTX]

Originally Posted by shelden

I will pray for you and your daughter, TJ, and ask the members of my small Christian community to pray with me.

Thank you, shelden. I'm a big believer in the power of prayer.

Originally Posted by bnwhuxley

I hope, and expect, things to turn out well for you, TJ.

Thank you for your vote of confidence. It's always good to hear from you.

Originally Posted by micah76

It's amazing our cases mirror each other almost exactly. Including that god awful amount of money.

Yes, it is somewhat odd, although I suspect that many fathers have similiar (or even worse) situations. The money required is absolutely mind-boggling, at least to me. As I said earlier, I'm hoping for a summary judgement, in which case the dollar amount will be significantly lower. Every attorney I've spoken to regarding this has told me that my ex's lawyer is really doing her a disservice by taking her case, since I've had custody for nearly 6 years. I just hope the financial impact to her is at least as great as it is to me.

[RickV]

I think the ruling will be in your favor. If you have provided a stable, loving home environment, and your ex has shown ambivalence or a poor record of remaining an active part of your daughters life, then you should have no worries.
The days of automatic custody to the mother are over. Judges are much more open to giving a loving, caring father custody these days. All my prayers will be with you.