The ME in Mediation – a New Perspective
Just when I thought I knew all there was to know about mediation, I learned something new. I know that mediation, the process of resolving legal issues with the assistance of someone trained to help warring parties find creative solutions, is often better for divorcing spouses than having a trial. I have served as a...
In Appreciation for My Marriage: A Love Letter to My Parents
Dear Mom and Dad, You know I love, respect, and am blessed to have in my life the man I’m married to, right? Have I ever told either of you how much you have to do with that? As a young girl, you would not allow me to allow myself to be disrespected. There wasn’t...
17 Things Teachers Want to Tell Divorced Parents
Teachers can be a Guardian Ad Litem’s best friend. When I represent a child whose parents are going through a custody battle, charged with the duty of investigating for the purposes of making recommendations to the Judge about custody and visitation, I look forward to talking to the child’s teacher. After reviewing all the court...
The Magic Eye of Marriage
Remember those Magic Eye books and pictures that were everywhere in the early 1990s? Like the picture above, they were chaotic blurs of colors, shapes and seemingly abstract patterns. The promise was that if we looked at the two-dimensional picture in the right way, we would see a three-dimensional image emerge before our very eyes!...
5 Exercises to Skip When You’re Married
Exercising with your spouse is usually a good thing. Not only are you spending time with each other, you are both working together toward a common goal – an activity that reaps benefits in other areas of your marriage. But not all activity is created equal. There are some forms of exercise that, when done...
10 Ways You Can Tell the New Year is Here Without Leaving Your House or Looking at a Calendar
With horns tooting, fireworks popping, and Auld Lang Syne blaring off the TV, it’s pretty hard to miss the arrival of the New Year. But just in case you slept through the hoopla and haven’t heard any official announcement, here’s 10 ways you can tell the New Year is here without leaving your house or...
The Annual Marriage Assessment – 11 Questions to Get You Started
The beginning of a new year is often a time for evaluation, assessing, and planning for the upcoming twelve months. We analyze things like our health, our spiritual direction, our priorities, our careers and set goals regarding what we would like to do different, better, or not at all. Let’s not forget our marriage...
2014: And the Winner Is . . .
I’m always intrigued by the BEST and WORST lists that abound this time of year. What worked over the past 365 days and what didn’t. What made us smile and what made us cry. What we ran to the movies to see and what we ran from. What new toys were hits and what were...
7 Common Mistakes Married Couples Make
Little changes can have big impact. Case in point: You write a lovely note to somebody you like and tell them how pretty they are. Except you accidentally leave out the ‘r’ in pretty. Such a little mistake. Such a big difference in how your letter is received! Here are some common mistakes that married...
How to Get Along With Your Spouse – 5 Simple Tips
Want to get along with your spouse better? Here are 5 simple tips that can help – from the divorce lawyer who doesn’t like divorce! BONUS!