After my 60-year-old husband walked out to make babies, I announced to my best friend that I was writing a memoir. “For revenge?” she asked. “NO!” I paused. “Well, maybe a little,” I admitted, though I knew revenge was not what I needed. After all, I’m a therapist, and choosing revenge is not a wise coping mechanism…

Three generations of my family have lived through divorce – mine, my sons’, and now my grandchildren’s. It’s not the story any of us planned, but it’s the one we’ve learned to live with – mostly with tenderness and humor. When I was a child in the 1950s, our extended family gathered…

There are no ceremonies or rituals for divorce or being left. When there is a death, we have traditions. Friends know to send condolences, bring food, attend services, and offer help. But when a marriage ends, we are often unclear what to do. The silence can feel almost as painful…

When I held my first newborn, I whispered, “All I want is for you to be happy.” It felt like the most generous wish I could make – no demands about who he should become, no rigid life plan to follow. Just happiness. Decades later, I realized that was a much bigger expectation…

Did you know that divorce rates among older adults are now the highest of any age group? Meanwhile, divorce among younger people is actually declining. I found this shocking – until I became part of the statistic myself. I didn’t know where I would live…

I didn’t expect to get divorced in my 60s. We met at 47, and this was our second marriage for both of us. I often described my husband as the most gentle and caring man I’ve ever known. We had an easy rhythm; conflicts were discussed, not yelled about. Our routines were not unusual…