May 23rd, 2019

​At Creekside Mediation, my large conference room table is an antique, 1812 farmhouse table that was once used to feed workers on a Virginia farm.  I picture hardworking people gathered around this table taking nourishment, sharing stories, collaborating, supporting each other and solving problems of the day before they go back into the world renewed and refreshed for a new challenge.   The modern-day use of this table for mediation sessions really isn’t that much different.  While my clients likely haven’t come in from working on the farm, and the only food served here now is chocolates and coffee, people are still gathering at this table to get the support they need and to collaborate with me while they transition through their divorce and custody issues.  I like to think the essence of the strong men and women of the past are with us at the table as we work through these modern-day situations. At the end of my mediations I thank my clients for inviting me into their lives, for I really do feel it is a privilege to be allowed into such an intimate and challenging time of my clients’ lives and to bear witness to their growth.  
 
In this blog I will share with you some of the stories  - both success and struggles – I have witnessed at my mediation table.  It is my hope that these stories will inspire you in your time of transition, help you understand what mediation is – and isn’t – and help you erase the dreaded ‘shoulds’ that surround divorce and custody and allow you to begin the truly creative process of deciding for yourself what is best for your family via mediation.