I have a fiercely independent streak in me. I have come to understand that this is more often a weakness than a strength because it is motivated by my pride. When I was facing a difficult challenge due to my divorce, I tended to focus only on what I could do to overcome it. I often […]
The stress and strain of divorce is so intense. The emotional pain is overwhelming. It is a battle just to get through the day. You can’t think straight. You walk around with a pit in your stomach. Often you are afraid of what the future will hold. You can’t imagine a day when things will be […]
One day, as I walked into the kitchen, my four-year-old son was watching his favorite TV show. Patting the seat of his chair, he looked up at me with these big, puppy-dog eyes and said, “Can you come and sit with me?” My heart melted. Even though I had a million things to do, I could […]
I will never forget the morning after my marriage crumbled. It was as if I woke up into a nightmare. I could not believe what was happening to me, my children, and my marriage. It was surreal. I just wanted to close my eyes and hope that I was really still asleep and would wake […]
“I can’t believe I did that! Is this me?!,” exclaimed one of our workshop participants (we’ll call her Jayne) after sharing that she recently defended her ex-husband to her family. Evidently, Jayne’s family was giving her a rather hard time about her ex, and she responded by defending him in his absence. What surprised her […]
It is very easy to become disillusioned with our faith and with God when dealing with the crushing difficulty of divorce. It can be a lonely time, and God can feel very distant. We can become resigned to thinking that our lot in life is to endure some form of misery for the remainder of our […]
My first Thanksgiving was so difficult. My divorce was in full swing and my world was crumbling. Frankly, I did not have a thankful attitude. What did I have to be thankful for? Everything in my world was being ripped away from me. Fast forward thirteen years, and here is what I have learned: the most […]
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 is […]
“I can’t take it anymore!” were the words that tumbled out of my mouth as I sat defeated in front of a very young-looking priest. I had really been suffering from the new reality of my divorce. Well, what I heard next shocked me. He said, “Your suffering is actually helping you heal from your […]
“I hope he rots in Hell!” the woman (let’s call her Marge) sitting in front of me said, her voice filled with bitterness. I sat and listened attentively for the next fifteen minutes as she described in vivid detail all the nasty things her ex did and all the pain he brought into her life. Listening […]