Tossing in my hat...

As the weeks after my separation and divorce went by I found myself becoming braver and more confident.  There was so much to learn about being single.  It took some time but I discovered that it wasn't ... fatal.  That might sound funny, but after being married for 28 years, the thought of being middle-aged and single was terrifying to me.  At the time of my divorce the youngest of my 3 children was 19 years old, but all of them were still living at home.  Since we had to sell the house the kids decided that they would all rent a townhouse together.  If I were keeping a running tally I'd say that at that point I had lost my husband and marriage, my house, my car, and now all 3 of my children at the same time.  I remember my best girlfriend saying, "Don't worry.  It can't get any worse!"  A week later I lost my job.  She never said that again!  And I hadn't even gone through the breast biopsy or the pacemaker insertion yet.  Good thing I have such a good sense of humor.  Once when my ex-husband was visiting me in the hospital he said, "I think I got rid of you just in time!"  We both laughed.  It was true.  If it weren’t for the divorce I never would have met Ray.  But the road to meeting him was like a roller coaster; lots of twists and turns, frightening, unexpected plunges and ... I screamed a lot.  My kids, my friends and my co-workers helped me get through it all.  I started writing a Web Page about my misadventures being a DWF in New Jersey and my quest to find true love and happiness.  (I can’t wait to read the ending to see how it all turned out.)  In all honesty I have to say that most of my experience as a divorced woman came from … Chat Rooms.