Sally Jo, I felt I had no choice. My husband was and is a womanizer and so was his dad. So I see it as a generational problem in his family. He cheated throughout our marriage from the beginning. He fathered a child during our marriage too. That child is 16 years old now and he hates him as much as I do. Just this last year I can see he's moving from mental abuse with signs that he may become physically abusive. He's not home a great deal. He spends a lot of time at our 5 acre farm in his hometown in Oklahoma. I'm sure he has more children there but I can't prove it. I have never visited the place since we bought it back in 1999. I believed he would die of a heart attack fairly young like most of the men in his family. I hate to say it but he's healthier now than ever before at age 62. I can't take this anymore. He comes and goes for days and weeks at a time and does not speak to me. We sleep in separate rooms with the doors locked. We haven't really spoken since Xmas 2005. I never know when he's leaving or returning. I want a life too so I need to get rid of him. He hasn't paid a bill in our marital home in over a year. He doesn't contribute anything... not even toilet paper! I will be so-o-o happy when this is over. There was no way to work out anything because he's been out of my life emotionally since about 2002. He's been asking for a divorce since November 2008. I surprised him and served up the papers to him in March 2009. He's wanted out for a long time but he wants to take my IRA with him. He counts every penny I have because he's spent every penny he has. He wants mine so he can live happily ever after on my dime. I'm praying I can get better than a 50/50 property split because I paid more throughout the marriage financially while he had all the fun

Hi SallyJo. Thanks for sharing you story. I'm a 60 year old woman who filed for divorce March 2009 to end a 28 year marriage. Enough is enough. Like most folks here I'm looking for support from others who have been there or are going through divorce late in life. This is not how I envisioned my life to be at this age. As a matter of fact I thought I would probably be a widow and not a divorcee. But here I am trying to learn all that I can to protect my meager assets. If anyone has any tips or words of wisdom don't hesitate to email me: hiquality@sbcglobal.net

Charlene