Bal Simon’s “Heart-Fires”

A unique marriage of convenience

I visited a friend recently who has separated from her husband. Jane and Joe (not their real names) have a daughter, and I have to say that the couple has done a remarkable job raising her, even though they are separated.

They opted to not get divorced for economic reasons, and because of their daughter, their paths cross frequently.

They seem to be friends, though the marriage is gone in all but the law. But that’s a heck of a lot better than the destructive divorces that I have seen many others go through.

And Joe told me that one of the big benefits of not getting the divorce is it makes it easier and less expensive to support his child, to provide both his daughter and Jane with health insurance, etc. And, of course, since they haven’t formally (legally) divorced, there was no messy attorney manipulations that they had to deal with.

There’s a lesson in this even for couples who are not close to separation. Before I tell you what I think the lesson is, give it some thought, and you might even give your opinion as a comment.