PHONE: 601/ 898.8655
EMAIL: 
Not the Same
Posted on Friday, May 25, 2012
It has been a while since I sat down to write a blog article. Who would of thought being the executive director of a new, Mississippi non-profit adoption agency would be so time consuming? But I digress (more on that later)… I have a friend and client who is going through a divorce. He is a great guy who made a few mistakes. Actually, in the grand scheme of mistakes that a person can make in a marriage, his were relatively minor offenses, but his wife, a hard-charging, type-A personality, cannot stand that her perfect little idea of a life may not have a starched shirt and slick, silk tie. I grieve for him, but I grieve for her just as much. I want to reach out to her and tell her that if your idea of living is measured relationally to those around you as opposed to what springs from inside, inhabiting the spiritual realm, there will never be a sense of satisfaction, but what do I know, she is going through one divorce and I have been through about 500. READ MORE
200 Million Flowers Update
Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
A few people have asked me whether or not I am going to quit practicing law and focus on 200 Million Flowers full time. I kind of laugh when people say that, not because it is necessarily a crazy idea, but because I am leveraging the law practice to be able to help, in part, finance this new adoption agency. One friend said “The divorces are funding the adoptions.” I guess that’s true. However, I really love practicing law and managing my law firm. I get to work with an client base every day – many of whom are in the worst crisis of their life, and the R+A team is world class in my humble opinion. But I am also having a blast helping to get 200 Million Flowers off the ground. It is a really fun second job and we are just getting started. READ MORE
Tim Tebow versus Joel Osteen
Posted on Sunday, January 15, 2012
I have a friend who is an addict. It breaks my heart how he continually makes bad choices. I have not supported his bad choices and he has said many things calculated to hurt me –mostly via text message. Even if untrue or with only shades of truth, words from those you love hurt the most. That is one of the many things that make divorce in the Bible belt of Mississippi (or anywhere for that matter) so freaking hard. READ MORE
The Parasite
Posted on Monday, December 19, 2011
I get inspired for these little articles, aka rants, from all different sorts of crazy places. This week, it comes from an official looking note on orange paper being sent home with Emma about a breakout of lice in her classroom. When I was a kid…. Yep, I got them. My little tail was sent home from school after an examination from my teacher with a sharpened pencil. It was very embarrassing and getting rid of them was a long, annoying, time consuming process. READ MORE
The Sugar Jacket
Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2011
One of my favorite television programs is Modern Family. In one episode, the character, Gloria, coaxed her husband into giving advice on the "Good Dog, Bad Dog Training System." Guillermo, the entrepreneur, described his business idea with honesty and excitement. The system was fatally flawed, however: it rewarded the dog for being good or for being bad. For being good, the dog got a bacon-flavored treat; for being bad, it got a bland treat. After listening to the pitch, Gloria's husband, Jay, bluntly told Guillermo the idea was not good. The would-be businessman wept. Gloria told Jay that he should have been nice and "put on the sugar jacket" when he commented on the plan. READ MORE
Your Final Destination
Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2011
I was in an airport recently and watched passengers deplane from a flight that was very, very behind schedule. The passengers were panicked, afraid they would miss their connecting flights. A helpful airline employee tried to help them on their way by asking, "What is your final destination?" One passenger replied, "Heaven!" He knew where he was going to end up, regardless of the obstacles the world presented. READ MORE
Redemption and Divorce
Posted on Monday, September 26, 2011
I was in the book store the other day and I was browsing while Rachel and the girls were listening to story time in the children’s section. A little red book by Mark W. Gaither called Redemptive Divorce caught my eye. I finished it last night. While it would seem that Redemption and Divorce are antonyms, Gaither uses a Biblical discussion of marriage and divorce as the backdrop to introduce a legal strategy aimed at keeping marriages together. He proposes that filing for divorce can help save a marriage about 20% of the time. READ MORE
The Leaver and the Left
Posted on Friday, July 08, 2011
In every divorce, each spouse takes on a role- the leaver and the left. Robert Emery talks about this phenomenon in his book The Truth About Children and Divorce. I have recommended it to dozens of folks after seeing him speak in a conference a few years ago. The leaver and the left have a very different mindset when it comes to the process of divorce because of their place on the divorce grief cycle. Remember that unlike a death that has finality, a divorce continues to have the chance of reconciliation and therefore the grief cycle can be extended as the couple vacillates in the good times and bad that encamp every failing relationship. As time goes on, the grief cycle of love – anger – sadness begins to flatten out and the person can feel somewhat whole again, although very different. READ MORE
Note to Self: Close the Blinds
Posted on Monday, June 27, 2011
Cheating. It just happens. It is not a part of every divorce case in Mississippi, but I can say with certainty that it is a part of at least half of them. I personally am a strong believer that in almost every circumstance when a woman cheats, it is a symptom of a marriage that is already on life support. Guys not so much. Sex is simply less emotional to a man than to a woman. Most guys could go out and have sex with a fencepost and then go home and at least on the surface seam to be content with his home, wife and kids. With women, who deeply desire an emotional connection, when they are not getting an intimate bond from their marriage, they gravitate to some form of connectedness. The “conversation” can lead to a physical relationship if she is not very careful. READ MORE
'Til Debt Do Us Part
Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2011
I am 26 years old and marriage is all around me. Yes, I am at the age where every week a friend calls screaming in excitement about her engagement. Many of my friends are also obtaining higher degrees from graduate programs, like me as well, and have loan payments looming over them after graduating. So, what happens to this debt after you marry? Are you alone legally bound to pay it, or is your future husband marrying you and your debt? What happens if the marriage ends? Who ends up paying? READ MORE
