Over five years ago I developed a bladder infection that lasted five months. I couldn't do much but lie on the couch. Sitting was too uncomfortable, as was exercise. I was divorced, sick and the book business was a mess, which made my life seem all but over. I often...

I was born and bred to be a caretaker. My mom had a heart attack when I was four. Though I was a child, my Dad gave me the job of watching her, making sure she didn't do too much, keeping my voice down, and making sure my older sister...

When I was first divorced, spending Christmas with my daughters was extremely important to me. Neither my ex-husband nor I had any idea how to work out holiday time. He didn't much care about Christmas or Thanksgiving since he didn't cook.

But once he started dating, that changed. He...

When I divorced my daughters were three-and-a-half and seven. I still have a picture of my younger daughter at age three on my bulletin board: she looks unutterably sad. I'm not sure why I keep the picture. My older daughter acted out daily, but she didn't look as sad. She...

When my daughter had her first son three years ago, I drove the four hours from my town to her city in record time. It's amazing I didn't get a ticket. When I walked into her hospital room, it was empty, without even a bed. I continued racing, this time...

Several years into my second marriage, one of my friends gave me the book "The Verbally Abusive Relationship" by Patricia Evans. I didn't read it for four years, despite the fact that I understood why she had given it to me. I didn't believe his behavior was abusive. It was...

Yesterday when I was driving to my co-op, my local radio station played an oldie-but-goodie 50s dance tune. Immediately I was transported back to the small hall where kids in my crowd held dances. One Saturday night, some older boys who were already in high school swaggered into the room....

I realized my second marriage was in trouble sometime after our fifth anniversary. My nature being what it is, I took all the proactive steps I could think of to save that marriage. The very idea of divorce was an anathema to me. Besides, I still loved him as much...

By nature I am a curious, positive person, a glass half-full type. I bounce back from adversity fairly quickly, coming up with solutions for problems within a day or two, or seeking help from friends if I can't. But when I turned fifty, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that...

I realized my mother wasn't happy with my father in my early teens. They didn't fight, although there was affection, mainly because my mom was a warm person and very touchy-feely. She was also vibrant, curious, alive, and full of sass. My father was shy, reticent, quiet, and controlling. When...

When my husband and I separated, I was furious. He had been having an affair with a famous actress and lying about it for a year and a half. I would drive to the set in my sexiest outfit. The entire crew knew; God knows what they thought of me....

I met my second husband when I was teaching an Extension course on writing at a local college. It was my first day teaching at night, and I was worried about walking back to my car alone in the dark. He offered to walk with me; it was only when...

When I went through my first divorce over thirty years ago, I had two daughters, ages three-and-a-half and seven. My husband and I worked in the same business, which was definitely a boys' club. Many of those men were his friends. I had no idea if any of them would...