Boy standing alone looking out over water

“Where does your dad live?”

This is the question that greeted my son as he and I walked into a friend’s house a short while ago. The question was posed by a friend with whom he has grown up; a girl who knows our family well. Ours being a single parent home is a norm that has always been quietly present, an unspoken fact in the background of our get-togethers, quietly contrasting with this girl’s family dynamics. She was, for the first time, coming to the realization that our two families bear somewhat different structures and was curious enough to ask about the apparent discrepancy.

As children reach kindergarten age they begin to comprehend nuances of the world around themRead more »

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Supporting loved ones through divorce - overlaying table laid with purple flowers

I remember the look on my dear friend’s face as though it were yesterday. It was one of shock, of pain, of utter loss. She sat there still and speechless, unsure of quite what to say. A hug, more tears, a few whispered words and the promise that she was but a call away if I needed anything at all. She had been the first stop after separating from my now ex-husband, all those years ago. Though I didn’t know at the time how I would get through tomorrow, I knew that I would need to call upon those closest to me for support in traversing the road ahead.

Since that time I have found myself looking on from a different vantage point, fielding calls from friends seeking advice on how to support another going through the process. Some of us are natural fixers, jumping in to pick up the slack and get the job done. Others are empaths. Still others simply find themselves at a loss and in the overwhelm turn the other way, hoping someone else will step in to take their place. Divorce is difficult to bear. It affects not only the nuclear family unit but oh so many hearts with whom that unit has become knitted. As with every challenge that befalls a loved one, divorce brings with it the opportunity to come together and offer the simplicity of love and support.

The difficult part is often knowing how.Read more »

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The Beginning of a Journey

Divorce.

It can be an intimidating word. Paradoxically divorce often brings feelings of finality at the same time as endless questions are swimming before the mind’s eye. The future stands before you. You’ve put in months and years to creating a home you had hoped would last long into life’s horizons. You’ve built memories, raised children, invested time and energy and now it’s time to bid these years adieu.

You pack your emotional suitcase, discerning which valuables you’ll want to take on the road with you and which you’ll leave behind. It’s been awhile since you traveled solo, no other adult along for the ride. Read more »

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