Give it time. The ripples in the pond will flatten out. Focus on you and your needs. Make and A plan and a B plan for the holidays. Set Boundaries to protect yourself from getting hurt. And stay out of the middle of all the added chaos. Protect and nurture yourself. You'll be better able to give when it's needed if you take care of yourself. So sorry all this is happening at once. I bet it just increases the sense of loss. Hang in there.

Three of the five marriages of my siblings failed in a single year. It was as if one of them began triggering reactions with the others. I always wondered if part of it was that it just one to step up and have the guts to do it before the others followed suit.

I am so sorry for your pain and that of your families. I wish I had an answer for you. Al I know is that you need to take care of yourself and your children first and foremost. The rest of your family members can and should take care of themselves.

Take it a day at a time, an hour at a time if you need to. Before you ignore your own needs, please remember that you are the person your children depend on so you need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your kids.
((((hugs))))

As a newly content single person I see that everywhere I go. I went to a birthday party tonight. Divorced just complain about the ex. Married complain about spouse. Seldom do I ever meet a happy person when it comes to a somewhat long relationship. When I pull the covers up at night I thank God he has removed me from this madness.

I think what you should do is let everyone know that you love them and value them. I think that divorces frequently come with ripples. I know that when my girlfriend got divorced from her husband, quite a few of my other friends began talking about it too. They had similar problems and they were also fed up with a lot of the things that were going on in their marriages. I think that sometimes the grass looks greener for the person who is starting over and other around them start thinking that they might like to experience this too. I have also seen a divorce tend to pull husbands and wives together. It just depends on what is going on in the marriages of the people around you. I don't know that there is anything that you can do except try not to share a lot of drama with these people. Find other friends (like DS) to confide in. Let them know that you love them and give it time.

I have to agree with Greg. Divorce is so taboo and the risk of criticism and rejection from family members is so high that I think a lot of people don't do anything about ending their own troubled marriages until someone else close to them takes the first step. Kind of sad when you think about it. Our marriages are so unhappy and yet we stick with them for way too long until someone inadvertently gives us permission and the courage to end them.

I don't think there is anything you can do but be supportive of those you love.