Well, a few months after writing A Note to My Children-Thoughts About Marriage I discovered some texts on my husband's cell phone.  I was not snooping on his phone, they came in as I was standing next to the counter where the phone lay, and I saw them.  I will not go into detail about the contents but I will say that 6 months after our 32 "anniversary" (which by the way was the day I closed on my townhouse), we were officially divorced. Due to the pandemic I was notified by email and with that one email and a brief whimper it was over. Thirty-two years.

I don't regret a moment because although I am far from perfect, I did keep my wedding vows and I have a clear conscience. In the almost 2 years since that very odd "anniversary" I have bought and sold a townhouse, moved to another state to be closer to my adult children whom I adore, and in the process bought a house.  I did, however, leave some incredibly special people when I moved and that tugs at my heart everyday, and frankly I am afraid to tell some of them just how badly I miss them.  No regrets (mostly).

I have also done ( and continue to do) the hard work to heal and be as whole as possible, I won't lie though, the work is hard.  There are far more good days than bad days and I work with a group of educators who have been so loving and supportive even though we just met.  I interpret at a church almost every Sunday and will soon be starting a Divorce Care group through my church. I feel blessed.

In short, this addendum is to simply say that everything I wrote in the original blog post still holds true despite my divorce, but I would like to add a few summarizing bullet points:

Love your spouse!

Do not lie or keep secrets.

Never betray their trust.

Remember, they are a gift to be cherished, not a thing to be controlled.

You can never say "I love you" too much.

Catherine & StetsonMy daughter and son in-law...so happy he joined our family!

My daughter & son in-law...so glad he joined our family!