I have lived long enough to understand that families rarely break apart in loud, dramatic ways. More often, they unravel softly, thread by thread, until one day you find yourself standing in a moment you never imagined. That was certainly true the afternoon my daughter married my former husband — a moment I thought would be the hardest part of the day.
I was wrong.
To understand how we reached that astonishing moment, I need to begin long before the wedding day.
A Marriage Built on Tradition, Not Choice
When I married my first husband, Mark, I was barely twenty. Ours was not a romance blooming out of spontaneity or wild affection. It was a pairing shaped by two families who valued tradition, social standing, and stability above all else.
We grew up within the same circles, surrounded by carefully planned vacations, formal charity events, and a shared expectation that we would eventually build a life together. By the time we actually said our vows, it felt less like a choice and more like a continuation of the life others had already outlined for us.
Continue reading…