The first year after my divorce was overwhelming. Along with being a single parent to three young kids, I was working full-time and trying to put my life back together. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. My response was to put my head down and push through the […]
What do getting divorced, remarried, and divorced again in less than nine months, leaving your kids to become a groupie for a rock band, and moving to South America all have in common? They are all real choices made by people during their first year of divorce. Why would people make such obviously poor decisions? […]
As a typical Type A personality, my natural tendency is to act quickly to address any problem that might arise. This was never more true than when I was going through my divorce. Unfortunately, acting too quickly often pushes God out of the situation as we can step all over His plans. Remember, God’s timing […]
“That’s not fair!” screamed my five-year-old through a stream of tears. He was very upset that his older brother had received a fancy t-shirt as his souvenir on a recent trip to a Florida theme park. Ironically, just moments before, he was quite satisfied with the whiz-bang light saber he had chosen as his souvenir. […]
About a year after my divorce was final, I was invited to go on a spiritual retreat. During the retreat I heard a talk about the need to forgive those who have hurt you. Well, I could definitely relate to the being hurt part, but, frankly, the thought of forgiving my ex just made me angry. I […]
The crisis of divorce is often like one’s house burning down. When it is all over, all that is left is the charred remains of what was once a marriage. Just like with a burned house, your life must be rebuilt. The first phase involves clearing away the rubble of your life. The next phase […]
“I still can’t bring myself to tell people I am divorced.” Linda shared with her Recovering from Divorce group. She had been divorced for over three years, and the shame of being divorced and Catholic still held her hostage. This is very common. I must admit that it has been over thirteen years since my […]
After my divorce I was carrying a very heavy cross. Surprisingly, what made my cross so heavy was not the usual challenges of being a single parent, financial uncertainty, or dealing with a difficult ex. I certainly had my share of these challenges. What turned my cross from wood to lead was my difficulties with living […]
When my divorce hit, it was as if I was run over by a freight train. I hardly knew what hit me. I was confused, disoriented, and could barely think long enough to decide what color socks to wear. It was that bad. My instinctual reaction was to turn to God. That was good. However, […]
“This feels like a death,” I distinctly remember telling my mother on a very cold, and very lonely, November day, shortly after my divorce was filed. A divorce is a death—the death of a marriage. And with it comes all the same feelings of grief that are associated with a physical death. And like a […]