Front Page News

Dallas Morning News Front Page Article August 12, 2012

Within a 10 minute span this morning, two friends asked me if I had seen this morning's paper. A Commuter Family article had warranted front page status. We purchased a paper.

First sentence:

"It's a choice few of us would want to face. Keep the family together or keep the family afloat."

That pretty much says it all. 

In 2011, 3.5 million people lived apart for reasons other than legal separation with economic factors being the primary reason. The article describes the circumstances for two families and says this about them: 

"Their pragmatism has led to resilience. Along the way, they've managed to find the good - in the situation and in one another."

The article profiles a family with children whose father did the Southwest commute to Dallas for over 2 years. It talks about single motherhood, dad helping with lessons over Skype, strength in faith and the support of loved ones.

I have blogged about all of these themes and several others also highlighted in the article. All Commuter Families will have a common set of experiences. But, there is likely a compelling back story for each. Circumstances & choices, personalities & priorities create the individualized reality for each. 

The conclusion to the article's family story is that they are now all together in Atlanta. We do not yet know the conclusion to our Commuter Family.

We have several layers of decisions to get through ... stay tuned ...