Divorce
             No one goes into marriage thinking of divorce, but happily ever after is not a guarantee that is granted along with the marriage license. I found that out the hard way, and the lessons I learned changed my beliefs in divorce forever. I know that there are still people out there to whom marriage is a lifelong commitment, which they will never break for any reason. They do not understand divorce, and they will never approve of divorce. To those people I would like to say that I am happy for them because that means that they have not seen the nastier side of marriage.
             Divorce was not easy for me. For many years, I stood by my vows and was extremely unhappy. The confusion, guilt, fear, and the mental and physical pain of a destructive relationship were destroying me. I spent many a long night fighting my own personal battles, weighing my vows against my safety. It was a hard battle to fight, and it should have been easier. Divorce is a regrettable, but sometimes a necessary outcome of a relationship that has gone bad. Through my own experiences and through the many relationships that I have observed, I can honestly say that there are three main reasons that justify ending a marriage: physical abuse, mental abuse, and infidelity.
             One of the main justifications for a divorce is physical abuse. Physical abuse has an ugliness to it that is hard to comprehend. People find themselves in situations that they never dreamed of facing in life. I was a newly wed, sixteen-years-old, and thought my life was perfect. I had a wonderful husband, my own home, and a baby on the way (although we did not know about the baby yet.). Everyday after school I hurried home to fix dinner for my husband. Then one night he came home drunk. He proceeded into the kitchen and swept the dinner table clear. Food went everywhere. He then threw me against the wall, yelling and cursing like a mad man, picking up food and thr...