divorce checklist

7 Documents to Gather Before Filing for Divorce

September 2, 2026 By Christine Field

This post may contain affiliate links.

If you're considering divorce, or already in the middle of one, there's a good chance no one has told you exactly what to gather before things move forward. That's not an accident — most people aren't handed a map for this. After 35 years of ...

It’s Never Too Late to Rewrite Your Story

If you’re standing at a crossroads—wondering where the “you” you used to know went—you are not alone.

Maybe you spent years pouring yourself into your family, homeschooling, raising kids with big needs and even bigger hearts.
Maybe you’re navigating a broken marriage, facing an empty nest that feels a lot emptier than you ever imagined, or grieving distance from your adult children.

You may be asking yourself: What happened to the life I dreamed of?
What happens now?

Here’s the truth:
It’s never too late to rewrite your story.

No matter the detours or disappointments, there is still hope.
There are still beautiful chapters ahead, waiting for you to write them.

What You’ll Find Here

Real Mom Life is a place where you’ll find:

Real talk about motherhood, marriage, divorce, and all the messy parts in between
Honest reflections on faith, family, healing, and hope
Encouragement for the woman who feels forgotten—or who forgot herself along the way
Inspiration to rebuild, rediscover, and live with purpose, passion, and yes—a little pizzazz
A reminder that your story isn’t over—and the next part might just be the best yet

My Story

Hi, I’m Christine—a marriage and motherhood survivor, a recovering perfectionist, and a woman determined to live the second half of life with purpose, passion, and a whole lot of pizzazz.

I spent decades doing what many women do: pouring myself into my family, raising children (some with big needs and even bigger hearts), homeschooling, navigating a long and complicated marriage, and trying to be everything for everyone. Somewhere in all of that, I lost parts of myself I didn’t even realize were gone.

During those intense years of deep mothering, I also wrote seven books for major Christian publishers about parenting, adoption, and homeschooling. I spoke at conferences, encouraged other moms, and tried to offer wisdom from the trenches.

And then—everything I held dear was challenged.

My kids started struggling in ways I couldn’t fix.
My marriage unraveled.
And so did the life I had so carefully built.

Divorce, the empty nest, the ache of adult children who didn’t launch quite the way I’d hoped—it all collided at once.

Sound familiar?

But here’s the good news:
It’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Now in my late 60s, I’m building a rich, meaningful life—not despite the hard chapters, but because of them.
I started dating again (and got married in May 2025!), I’m working full-time in my career as a criminal lawyer, and I’m dreaming bigger than ever.
I’m a woman of faith who’s walked through the fire—and found new life on the other side.

Let’s Walk This Road Together

If you’re wondering what’s next after the life you planned didn’t turn out the way you hoped, you’re in the right place.
We don’t have to shrink or settle.
We get to rise, reclaim, and sparkle.

So pour a cup of coffee (or something stronger), and let’s keep going, together.

divorce checklist

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