My husband, Dan, and I just completed a month-long, intensive on-line course called “Renewing Your Relationship” ( www.todoinstitute.org ).  It’s so easy to allow one’s relationship to take the back burner to work and kids.  Since Dan and I have both been through divorces, we are very aware that our marriage, as our primary relationship, requires attention, focus and energy. (more…)

I have a property for sale on the seacoast of New Hampshire and it’s supposed to be sold by now . . . at least, according to my own personal time table.  We’ve done all the right things:  fixed up the 220 year old house, made cosmetic improvements, hired a cracker-jack real estate agent, marketed and publicized. (more…)

I recently had the pleasure of running into an old friend.  We were casually chatting, catching up on life’s adventures, when she mentioned that her youngest son had gone off to college last fall.  “Oh,” I surmised, “You’re an empty nester now.”  She corrected me, “No, we’re free birds.” (more…)

On any given evening, I might have 5 kids, 3 kids, 2 kids, or no kids sleeping in my home.  That’s how it is to live in our blended family.  Each of these four potential arrangements has such a different energy, such a unique dynamic that it’s almost like having four separate homes in one. (more…)

Almost three years ago now, I began telling friends and family that I was getting a divorce (and furthermore that I had initiated it).  There was a mixture of predictable ‘horror’ responses that fell into one of three categories: tragedy (‘oh what a terrible loss’), war (‘better prepare for a legal battle’), or judgment (‘you’re making a terrible mistake’).  Yet one response stood out for its utter singularity and unique wisdom — a friend’s father embraced me with, “What  wonderful news!  Congratulations!!!  How brave you are!  Getting divorced was the best thing that ever happened to me.” (more…)