As humans, we learn, grow, celebrate and let go through the process of ceremonious events to mark major occasions. The announcement of a new life is punctuated with a baby shower and later, a baptism… we have a ritual to follow when children lose teeth… there are birthday parties… graduations… weddings… anniversary festivities… and funerals. And yet there is no traditional event to mark the end of a partnership. There is no recognized period of mourning, no ceremony to honor what was and welcome what is to become. When a marriage ends, a family is left fumbling in the fallout. Without ritualistic guidelines, rabid emotions reign supreme and often drive the process into a hellish downward spiral.

It’s been more than two years since I first wrote a post suggesting divorce ceremonies be part of the evolutionary process for a family. And it’s been two weeks since I wrote about my experience at the Divorce Expo where I met Teresa Dedovich, who performs ceremonies for those moving on from a concluded relationship. Because I feel this is so important, I followed up with Teresa the week after the expo and we spoke more about the “life reconciliation” services she offers. Below you can find her personal story of the origin of her idea and name for her ministry…