Maggie stood on the beach, watching the sun go down. As she stood there, staring out at the vast expanse of water stretching before her, Maggie made a silent vow to herself. She would grieve the loss of her marriage, and mourn the shattered hopes for the future. She knew that she needed to give herself time to decide what happened next.

Ben moved out of their apartment, leaving her alone, surrounded by memories everywhere she looked. They split their furniture and things, and Maggie was left with a chair, some dishes, and a bed that they had in the guest room. She couldn’t keep the bed that they shared. It was too awful to think about.

She tried to work on making the apartment her home, but it just didn’t feel like home anymore. Her lease was up soon, so needed to decide whether she was going to stay or move. At this point, she had no idea.

She thought about her hopes and dreams when she was in college. She always wanted to travel. She wanted to move away from the town where she grew up. She wanted to have a career she enjoyed. Now she had to think about what came next for her.

The next few weeks were a blur. She had projects due at work that kept her mind busy, but coming home to an empty apartment was lonely. She decided it was time to visit her family. She had some time at work, and getting away before the holidays would be easier.

Maggie made arrangements, took some vacation time, and packed her car. Her family didn’t live that far away, so she made the two-hour trip and arrived at her parent’s house before noon. They came out to greet her, with sad eyes. They knew about the divorce, and they were worried about her.

They all went in the house and ended up at the kitchen table. Maggie cried as she talked about the separation. She talked about events including Ben moving out of the apartment, things at work, and feeling lost and alone. Her parents tried to comfort her, but she knew that it wasn’t working. She spent the next few days sleeping and reading, just trying to relax.

She went to places that held good memories, trying to cheer herself up. She met with friends from high school, and even some from college but there was something missing. Ben had been a part of her life for so many years that event thought the relationship fell apart, she missed him. She missed him making pancakes on Saturday. She missed the way he would bring her a drink after a hard day. She missed his arms around her. She felt safe, and now she felt lost.

Maggie knew that that part was over, but there were still good times that she wanted to remember.

Her mother sat her down on the day she went home to talk with her. She told her that she knew she was hurting, but she wanted to make sure that she knew her parents loved her, and that she would be okay. Her mother talked about her strength, and the courage she had as a kid. She told Maggie that even if it didn’t feel that way now, she was going to be okay.

Maggie smiled and thanked her for the talk. Shortly after she packed her car and headed back to her apartment. She had decisions to make about her life. Decisions only she could make.