Marriage Undone

Recent news articles claim more couples are staying together these days because they cannot afford to divorce. I can relate - when my second marriage seemed unsalvagable, finances influenced our decision not to separate immediately.

In my case, I’m grateful our financial shortage bought us some time. We’ve managed to move past some of the biggest issues between us, and I’m happy to say I’m still married (this time).

I doubt everyone is so fortunate, however. My heart goes out to those trapped in an unhappy or even abusive marriage. I’m reminded that divorce was once less common in part because women could not afford to support themselves and their children without a spouse. Is this what the economy is returning us to?

I know divorce is hard, but so are most things in life that result in personal growth. There’s a fine line here. There’s lots to learn from almost divorcing, too. Maybe the economy will save some marriages, but it might force people to remain in uhappy and even dangerous situtations as well.