Blood is Thicker than Money

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

At their wedding last July, Nicole Thomspon and Matthew Arce were as hopeful for the future as any bride and groom. A happy couple in their 20s, the pair planned to live on Arce's salary while Nicole found a new job. They would soon be able to buy a house, settle down, and embark on their life together. Like many Americans, however, Nicole and Matthew were about to face unanticipated and insurmountable financial trouble. By the end of the year, Nicole had only managed to find temp jobs and Matthew had lost his high-paying job and started to work as a Wal-mart cashier instead. The couple began to descend into debt, and hope seemed to be lost.

Just before Christmas, 42 year-old Craig Thomspon offered to let the struggling newlyweds move into his 3-bedroom home with him. They gratefully agreed. Most people would likely have refused the offer; After all, Craig is Nicole's ex-husband.

In 2005, Craig and Nicole were in the snarls of a messy divorce. Battling for custody of their two daughters, now 6 and 7, the Thompsons were bitter and angry towards each other. Living together in the future would have been unimaginable. However, after finally agreeing to joint custody and letting the dust settle, Nicole and Craig found that they could be friends. In fact, they grew close. Craig's mother was even in Nicole and Matthew's wedding. "There are so many families that go through divorce and can never let it go," says Nicole. "I'm thankful, and hopefully our situation can help people rethink things because if they have kids, it's in their best interest to get along."

And get along they do, apparently well enough to diffuse the tension that most ex-spouses would experience if they moved in together. The Thompson daughters, Victoria and Caitlyn, now get to live with both of their parents instead of switching back and forth.

Against all the odds, Matthew Arce has become fast friends with his wife's ex-husband. Craig Thomas describes their relationship by saying "We just clicked." The two of them work on household projects together, build plastic models together, and even hang out on the days when neither of them has to work. It is an unusual family, but it is a happy one. Matthew and Nicole plan to continue living with Craig for at least another five years.

To read more, visit http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/03/26/couple.lives.with.ex/index.html

There is plenty of news right now about the country’s economic troubles and how families are suffering. Advertisements invariably begin with "in these hard times. . ." Strangers comment to each other in grocery store lines about how it's hard just to get by. I hope that, like me, there are others out there with an eye on the good things coming out of this recession. The Thompson/Arce family, for example. Or even the fact that strangers are bothering to talk to each other in grocery store lines at all. With the right attitude, Americans can come out of this difficult period sturdier, more united, and more compassionate. Stay strong, everyone. ~mg