After my second marriage ended in divorce in 1992, I turned my business focus to relationship issues with an emphasis on divorce and midlife crisis because both have been major factors in my personal growth.

I understand the fear when a lifetime commitment ends and the future that you planned to spend together is now gone. I also understand the fear that can paralyze the decision-making process and keep someone in a dysfunctional relationship when they need to leave.

I believe there’s a rhyme and reason for most relationship endings. Whether it’s a spouse who leaves home or an employer who decides you’re no longer necessary, endings are traumatic. But they also give us the opportunity to find and develop our hidden strengths.

We all have resources within ourselves that will help us to become even stronger in the face of adversity. I believe the perfect “revenge” when a relationship ends is to “survive and thrive” instead of wasting time on the what if’s and if only’s of the past. On a personal note, I have been happily married to my third husband since 1995.

 Last week was my birthday. It’s also the day I stopped being a Divorce Support Guide after more than nine years in the position with a large online community. I find the ending bittersweet. Bitter because I really enjoyed what I was doing and was reluctant to give up something I started and then nurtured into such an excellent support site. Sweet because I now have the time to expand into other areas that interest me as well as the time to develop my existing websites to their full potential.

Because I have so many interests and websites, I am using this blog to bring them all together. Links to my websites, blogs, and forums, will be in “My Sites.” Links to friends’ sites and others that I think are worth visiting will be in “Sites I Like.”

I’ve been told by several people that this photo of me, particularly with my arms crossed, makes me look a little harsh and too authoritative. I’ll agree with that but it also makes me look not quite as heavy as I feel right now. Frankly, I need to lose about 25 pounds. When I do, I’ll post another photo.