January 31, 2019
Volume 49 - No. 05
By R. L. “Pete” Peterson
Hilary Johnson was 57 when she decided she’d had enough — enough of her job, enough caretaking for her 93-year old mother, and especially enough of her 28-year marriage. So, she did something many people fantasize about, but until recently was unthinkable: She walked away from it all. “Sometimes divorce is the only option,” says Ms. Stephens, now 58. The mother of two The Paper - 760.747.7119
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adult daughters, who she’s maintained contact with, Ms. Stephens moved from Maryland to the Philadelphia area, re-entered business and now heads up a nonprofit organization that advises those who wish to end their longterm marriages. “Sure, the transition was painful at first,” she says. “Many of my friends had a hard time understanding why Mark and I were divorcing. My daughters were shaken, but when I explained
I’d always love their father, and would continue to be an integral part of the family, but that I had to live out my life with my new partner Sherri, the only person I’d ever really loved. They listened, and went along with my decision, even if they didn’t fully accept it.” Now 3 years downstream from the divorce, Hilary wishes she’d made the decision to divorce sooner. “Mark,” her former husband, “has been wonderfully understanding. He says he
sensed a barrier, an invisible impediment between us that he could never cross. After a while he gave up trying. I apologized for my failings, telling him that since college, both Sherri and I had lived a life of deceit that we both detested, but from which we could not escape.” She smiles. “Early in our marriages, Sherri and I managed to sneak off to be alone twice or three times a year. Then we’d trudge back to our traditional life, feeling guilty and less than
Senior Citizen Divorce Rates - See Page 2