When I was a kid, my parents would allow me to ride my bike two miles to a nearby river where I liked to fish. One day, I decided to take a shortcut that a friend had told me about. The further I went down my new path, the more anxious I became. The river […]
I remember how anxious and worried I would be over each new crisis that erupted during my divorce. After the storm passed, I would feel relieved. I would believe I had dealt with the last major problem and calm seas would now prevail. Wrong. No matter how many times I went through the same cycle, […]
I often equate going through a divorce to being in a severe car accident. In both cases you emerge very badly battered and wounded, one emotionally and the other physically. Just as it takes a significant amount of time to heal from the physical injuries of a car accident, it also takes significant time to heal emotionally from […]
While it is true that divorce results in many negative experiences and painful changes, it is also true that in that rubble some gems can be found. Think and pray about it. Did you go back to school as a result of your divorce? Did you learn a new skill? Did you make a new […]
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 […]
I know a wonderful, godly woman who was married for over 30 years to a great man who loved her very much and treated her like a queen. One day, her husband died suddenly. As you would expect, she struggled greatly with the loss. Eventually, driven by loneliness, she started dating again. She met a […]
“Of course I want intimacy. Every man and every woman does…I look in the mirror each morning and I tell myself, it’s just not my time. God’s got someone out there for me, it’s just not my time.” says Kerri, a 40-ish, divorced, single parent appearing in the Voices of Hope DVD. When sharing her attitude toward dating […]
During my divorce I heard all kinds of ridiculous lies about me from my ex’s inner circle. Listening to them, you would have thought I was a maniacal, substance abusing, child beating, deadbeat. Sometimes, I found myself worrying that the judge might actually believe some of those blatant lies. I was in a custody battle […]
“I have to tell you that I have gotten some feedback that the name of your ministry is making some people uncomfortable,” my spiritual director advised me. When I probed further, I was told that promoting a ministry with the name “Divorced Catholic” was interpreted as promoting divorce, and, further, my zeal for helping divorced […]
I was putting my son to bed one evening, as I often do, and I was laying next to him joining him in his evening prayers. When we were done, I reached over, kissed him, blessed him, and told him goodnight. He replied, “Goodnight, I love you.” I then replied, “I love you more!” He […]