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 an ache in the pit of your stomach. Often you are afraid of what the future will hold. You can’t imagine a day […]
During the throes of my divorce, I was in so much pain, all I could do was drag myself into daily Mass and sit there in an almost catatonic state. It hurt even to try and form the words to pray. I was completely overwhelmed. My feeble prayer was simply “Lord, please make all this stop. […]
I was so mad I was slamming my fingers down on the keys of my laptop. I was smack-dab in the middle of my divorce, and it seemed like a day didn’t go by where my soon-to-be-former spouse had done something completely outrageous or ridiculous (or both). I was trying to do the right thing […]
The low point in my divorce came on Christmas morning, about two months after my divorce was filed. I actually got a call from my attorney; he wanted to discuss some aspect of my divorce (he didn’t celebrate Christmas since he was Jewish). I remember getting off that call and thinking, “I will be so […]
The house was stone quiet. I was all alone. Even though it was past midnight, I could not sleep. I lie there staring up at the ceiling in the dark. I had no peace. It had been a difficult couple of years. I had tried lots of different things. The new relationships, the new house, […]
One of the most common reactions to divorce is fear. That is very understandable. Who wouldn’t be scared if their entire life came crashing in around them? The problem with fear is not being scared, that’s normal. The problem is acting on fear. That’s when fear becomes a lousy strategy. Here is a better strategy: hope. Hope is not about […]
Going through divorce often feels like a battle. Each day can be a fight just to keep your head above water, often doing the work of two people. All the while dealing with the extremely difficult emotional issues that a divorce invariably brings. It can be overwhelming and so discouraging. Recognize that the source of these […]
As I look back on the years immediately following my divorce, I often reflect and think,”How did I do it?” Divorce often thrusts us into a world of activity and responsibility that no mere schedule can accommodate. We can attempt to become ultra-disciplined by managing our time, our responsibilities with kids, work, legal issues, and […]
Everyday is an opportunity: an opportunity to try again, an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, an opportunity to make an improvement in your life. Seize those opportunities every chance you can. It is so easy to live in the pain of yesterday, or be overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the future, that you can […]
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 […]