Divorce Party: Honoring the Marriage in a Divorce

I just recently heard about divorce parties.  While I don’t know anybody that has thrown one, I think that the idea behind them has some wisdom and merit. 

This article about Jack White and Karen Elson’s divorce party points out that a divorce party can be a good thing.

White and Elson threw their party to “honor our time shared.”  

While it is admittedly idealistic, the idea of honoring the time that a married couple spent together, even after a divorce, seems like a valuable exercise.

After all, even in the case of divorce, the time during the marriage has value.  Often that time produces at least some good times for the couple.  It has often led to valued relationships with in-laws and friends.  And, given that many marriages produce children, that time cannot be simply discarded as wasted. 

I may well help the healing process of divorce for a couple to honor the marriage, even though it is ending.  After all, that time cannot be forgotten, cannot be recaptured and cannot be changed.  Choosing to view it in solely a negative light is often both unrealistic and unhealthy. 

While that doesn’t need to involve a divorce party in every case, it is worth acknowledging the value of the time spent together to help both people move forward in health.