Hi, and thank you so much for doing this. I hope I'm not too late. I suppose a good question to ask would be this:
what can I do to experience a sustainable, pleasant, and meaningful life that doesn't consist of never ending pain?
You're not late :) I slightly changed your question into this: "What can I do to know happiness in my life?" Since there's no life without pain, but there should be no life without happiness.
The answer for your question came out as jera. Jera is a rune of cycles and seasons, but each one is never the same with the previous ones.
In our lives, happiness come and go like changing seasons. The same goes with pain. We have both bitter and sweet moments during our sojourn here. Nothing is everlasting in our world- there is no thing that never ends in this universe. Think about seasons. You may like spring flowers, but one day you find them withered. You may hate summer but the temperature drops eventually in autumn. It's natural principle, and we follow it, because we are a part of nature.
Your present pain will end. Though someday a new pain would come, it's temporal too. It is good for you to get out of the false notion of 'eternal pain' that some rotten religion guys planted into people's brains. It looks like, in my eyes, that only when you admit the ephemeral nature of pain, you can truly know happiness in your life.
Best of wishes.
So here's my question: what else can I do to ensure my children live happy and fulfilling lives after my death?
I slightly modified your question into this, since your children will find it hard to lead happy lives without a caring, loving parent like you:
"How should I do now to lead a happy life with my kids?"
The answer for your question came out as ingwaz. Ingwaz is a rune of family, seeds of your internal assets ready to sprout- in your case the latter seems to be your children :) You seem to love your kids very much, that you didn't forget them in the thick of your pains. You want them to be always happy. That's nearly impeccable. Not all parents around the world can behave like you.
But there's one thing that you forgot. What your kids need most to be happy, is you. You're the only one parent(mama/papa/etc) in their universe. No one can replace you. Even if some billionaire come to be your kids' caretaker, they will nevertheless need you. Their lives, their happiness, won't be the same without you in there.
So it's best to be just you. Always their parent, their shoulder to cry on, their embracing arm that won't cease to exist till the end of the world. Just be where you are, because you're the best parent in your kids' life.
Wish you and your kids the best.
Actual nightmare fuel. I don't want to be that person.
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Philip K. Dick was right, sooner or later in order to continue living you need to violate yourself over and over again.
At the same time – I'm doing what I can and I'm super grateful for any kindness offered to me, though
I'm always grateful for your existence. As someone who are writing novels too, I heartily want to give you a hug!