This isn't really a discussion topic; just something I wanted to share with all of you. Our wonderful minister, Rev. Tony Fisher, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, always closes our Sunday service with the following benediction:

"Go out into the world in peace! Have courage. Hold on to what is good. Return to no person evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted. Support the weak. Help the suffering. Honor all beings!"

While those words don't specify WHEN you should live by them, I believe there is something in there for each of us -- whether we are still in the throes of divorce or long past it.

Go out into the world in peace - When we do this, there's a good chance that peace will come to us. So if you are walking around with a chip on your shoulder, get rid of it!

Have courage -- absolutely! It's not always easy, but it's inside all of us just like the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz.

Return to no person evil for evil. I like this one the best! Even if your STBX or X is being an assclown or deliberately tormenting you, DON'T GET DOWN ON THEIR LEVEL.

Hold on to what is good. Yup, no matter how bad things may look right now, there's a whole lot of good in our lives. You don't have to look to far to see plenty of folks in much worse circumstances.

Strengthen the faint-hearted and Support the Weak. Help the suffering. That's part of what our DS community does and when we reach out to others, it strengthens and supports us! When I found this site back in 2008, even though I was already divorced 18 months and in a new relationship, I still had a lot of healing to do. This place of trust, sharing and comraderie went a long way toward my becoming whole again.

Honor all beings! I can't add anything to that; it says it all in just three simple words.

I hope you will find these words as inspirational as I have.
xoxo