Remember the movie The Princess Bride? The hero, Westley, is climbing the Cliffs of Insanity in a valiant attempt to save his true love. The rope he is climbing is cut by his enemy. Desperately clinging to the sheer face of the rock, Westley manages to pull himself to the top, barely escaping with his life.

I, too, have come dangerously close to toppling off the Cliffs of Insanity. My husband had moved out, leaving me and our four young children. The house was in foreclosure. My minivan got towed out of our garage due to nonpayment. My heart was shattered in a million bloody fragments, and I was supposed to be a rock for my young children, who were as brokenhearted and traumatized as I was. I could not fix any of it.

It seemed hopeless. I wanted to die.

In the midst of this, God sent a variety of people into my path, each of whom carried a very valuable tool they shared with me. By learning to wield these tools with increasing skill, I found that I was able to not only survive, but to thrive. I began to find joy, a sense of self, a reliance on a very real God with a very real Presence who lent very real Help right when I needed it.

I call these tools my Divorce Survival Kit.

This blog is an attempt to share what I've found to be indispensable in my healing from the trauma of my divorce. I am not finished healing yet; not by a long shot. But I'm a far cry from where I was three years ago. I have joy and peace most of the time. I'm excited about my future. My children are healing, too. Already, it's so much more than I could've imagined while teetering on the edge of the Cliffs of Insanity.

If you are bleeding out from the unbelievable pain of separation or divorce, you aren't alone. It will not always feel like this. And, there are some really practical steps you can take to lessen your suffering and find ways to get your needs met.

God is here, and God has healing for your heart.