Excerpt from Loving with Purpose ~ DIVORCE, DATING, BLENDING, AND OTHERWISE

Women and men alike hope for the best when they enter into a commitment. How about you? Did you ask the right questions before entering into your union? Did you really look at your mate; his character, beliefs, values, and goals? You should ask these, and many more questions, before committing, especially when children are involved. Should you put all of your efforts into this endeavor, and should you put your future on the line? If you are already in a committed relationship, then the answer is yes, you should do your best to keep it together. If you’re just starting out, then take a good, hard look at him, before committing your future.

The good news is that today’s divorce rates have slightly decreased. The bad news is that the statistics don’t necessarily mean relationships are more stable. Let me explain. First, I wasn’t aware that the divorce rate had declined until I went searching for the data. Then, I wanted to understand why the numbers had declined, when there seemed to be so much conversation about divorce these days. According to the National Center for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) National Vital Statistics Report, May 2009 an estimated 3.4 (out of 1000 people) of marriages ended in divorce out of the 44 states polled in the United States.

After hours of endless research on the topic, I found that some of the reasons could be that there are fewer marriages happening each year and more people living together. I also think people are waiting longer to tie the knot than in previous decades. Regardless of the reason for the decreased rates, it is good for marriage to be taken seriously.

If you have had a relationship that went bad, whether you were married or not, is it possible that you could have kept it from going into the ditch simply by being present during the moments? Just think about it…