<BR> Dear Catnip,<P><BR> Can you explain what Retrouvaille is and what they do? You have refered to them in several posts. Thank you, Cat!<P> God bless you, <P>------------------<BR><P>Gregg

Gregg:<P>I see I have been elevated to 'professor' status! Now that I have graduated with honors from the School of Hard Knocks with a PHD and a Phi Beta Kappa key, I suppose many of us qualify as 'faculty' after our tenure here has been established. Hahahaha. If only....<P>Anyway, Retrouvaille can be accessed on the web: <A HREF="http://www.retrouvaille.org" TARGET=_blank>www.retrouvaille.org</A> <P>Retrouvaille (means 'rediscovery' in French) is an organization for troubled marriages sponsored by the Catholic Church. You need not be Catholic to attend. Anyone and everyone is welcome.<P>Nearly every major city have Retrouvaile programs. The non-profit organization never wants anyone NOT to attend because of financial problems. People pay what they can to take care of the cost of the hotel and the meals.<P>The Retrouvaille weekend is magical and spiritual. The troubled couples come to the Retrouvaille weekend to begin their way back to each other. It is a starting point to begin reparation.<P>A priest and two or three couples who have recovered host the weekend at a hotel. Each couple is given a room and a schedule for meetings. At the first meeting each person is given a notebook.<P>After the introduction, a host couple will give a talk on the history of their marriage. The priest will address the group (in our group there were twenty couples) and a question will be asked. The husbands and wives are then asked to seperate and write their answers in their notebooks. After a half and hour, they return to the lecture hall and are instructed to exchange their notebooks. The couple is then asked to read their spouse's answer twice; once with their head and then with their heart. <P>Then another host couple tells their story and then another question is asked and the process is repeated many, many times throughout the entire weekend.<P>The priest addresses the group several times and answers questions and private conferences and questions can be asked.<P>At the end of the weekend, you present your notebook to your spouse as a 'gift' to each other. The notebook is then filled with insight, love, rememberences of your years together, understanding for each other, revelations, honesty, disappointments, joys...it's all before you. A spiritual awakening often takes place. A healing begins.<P>It is a powerful weekend. The only requirement is that ther is no third party involved with either the husband or wife.<P>I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to save their marriage. It's kind of a 'boot camp' for lack of a better description, as it is so concentrated that your only focus for 48 hours is each other.<P>There are four follow up Saturdays where the people in the group meet for the day for continuing reinforcement. After that, you get newletters and announcements of get togethers. You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want to be.<P>Go to the website and look around and consider attending the weekend. It could be just what you need to get the marriage on the right path. I should tell you it is not a cure all. David and I had lot's of problems for several months after the weekend, but I truly believe that without that weekend and those follow up Saturdays, we wouldn't have been able to get to where we are now-it was such a concentrated effort and the reestablishment of our marriage and the remembering of our past and of things we had forgotten about that were so incredible.<P>The questions they ask are designed to dig deep within you and bring out the soul shaking connection that was once yours together.<P>Catnip =^^=<P>PS Retrouvaille boasts a 93% success rate<p>[This message has been edited by catnip (edited January 04, 2001).]

To catnip:<P>Thank you for your clear description of a Retrovaille weekend. You gave necessary information for the fearful without betraying any confidential stuff. <P>I wish my H would have agreed to attend a weekend, or sought more information from the pamphlet i left on his bureau, but he returned it to me without a word.<P>I would have loved the gift of a Retrovaille weekend more than any birthday or Christmas present. <P>By the way, anything new on the lawsuit? I admire your gumption.<P>------------------<BR>Belle, Domestic Goddess

Belle,in reading your signature I smiled"Domestic Godess" What a woman!<P>Yes Catnip I agree...You da girl on this site and I will forever be grateful to you an UNDERSTANDING stranger and friend.<P>All the rest of my dear cyber-friends here are near and dear to my heart and I'll never forget how your stories have helped me.<P> Debi<P>------------------<BR>Imagine....

Thank you, dear Catnip,<P><BR> Your answer was complete and concise as usual. <BR> My wife is still somewhat on the fence RE OM. Are we disqualified?<P> BTW, I'm Catholic, my wife is Nazerine. I'm a parochial school survivor!<BR> <P><BR> God bless you,<P>------------------<BR><P>Gregg

Bellevue: The lawsuit is ready to begin once I get the initial payment in. That won't happen now until February. I was hoping to have OW served in time for Christmas. (or her head on a platter...hahahaha!) Thanks, Belle, for asking. I will keep you posted as events occur.<P>Gregg: 15 years of Catholic schools for me, too. I miss the Latin Masses and the wonderful Nuns as we listened for the rattle of their Rosary beads as they walked down the halls.<P>Gem: Thanks for the kind words. We're all in this together. Bridget Bardot? Wowser!<P>Catnip =^^=<p>[This message has been edited by catnip (edited January 04, 2001).]

Hey Catnip and Gregg,<P>I'm a close second ... 12 years of Catholic school for me and I should be in therapy just for that alone!<P>Even though it was the last thing I wanted, I ended up sending my kids to Catholic school too because at least I thought they would get lots of discipline (I am a very strict mom).<P>But, Catholic school has changed! There are only lay teachers in our school, discipline is probably a bit better than public school but nothing like the "put the fear of God in you" type of discipline I remember as a youngster.<P>So, hopefully, my kids will "thrive" instead of being "survivors" like us!<P>- Heavenly

gemini1:<P>Thank you for the compliment. Unlike Hillary Clinton, I have no shame in being home and baking cookies, ironing shirts, and being the Mom who brings her son's friends home on short days from school and enjoying the noise they make running in and out of the [messy] house.<P>Are you really a gemini? Did you post on the What's Your Sign thread?<P>------------------<BR>Belle, Domestic Goddess<p>[This message has been edited by Bellevue (edited January 05, 2001).]

Catnip, I forgot to say B.B WITHOUT the boobs...heh....heh... Now if I had them babies....look out! ha ha<P>Belle,I too stayed home with my son when he grew up. I can't tell you that now that his friends are older how they remember campbell soup lunches,and extra pair of mittens when theirs got wet,koolaid when they were thirsty, a sprinkler to run through when they were hot...and much, much more, while their mom's worked. I was the mom to pick up sick neighborhood kids at school as the parents worked. I'd never change the craziness or happiness of those years.<P>I'm a part-time hairdresser now. Actually NOW I'm unemployed as I couldn't function since d-day. I also am book keeper for H business....I haven't done that either since d-day.<P>Yes I'm a Gemini. June 20 1953.<P>As far as Hillary,God bless her. I think if I acomplished something else in my life besides hairdresser/bookeeper,I'd have a better self image. Not that I'd want to be a senator....<P>Besides what she's been through with jennifer flowers (hate that "jennifer" name ow's name) and monica, she's not a lot different than us. He,however is smart enough to use a damn CIGAR!!!!! Wish my H used one! heh...heh...<P>------------------<BR>Imagine....

gem , Iam at home now to I couldnt fuction either I did machine maintance for 5 years before that awful phone call. I quit my job that same week. Ive got my own business now at home if I could just stick to it its still hard. I figure if he had so much extra time to play than Iam going to be home with our child and do what I want to do with my life. I hated dealing with the day care. I stayed home with my other kids this was first child I had to deal with working and being mom. I call myself domestic engineer.with love

i am cracking up over that cigar thing! lol!!!!!<P>thanks, needed the laugh.<P><P>------------------<BR>happy_girl

Happy to oblige Happy_Girl!!<P>We must be getting goofy cuz of snow!!<BR> Debi<P>------------------<BR>Imagine....

Happy-girl and Gemeni,<P> Kinda gives a whole new meaning to "second-hand smoke"!<P> God bless you,<P>------------------<BR><P>Gregg

You guys are to much. I was thinking the same thing gem. What has gotton into all of us.with love flowerseed