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"Steve Smith of The Daily Pilot wrote a great editorial yesterday on the subject of death vs. divorce. Mr. Smith is a widower, and a reader had commented on loss through divorce vs. loss through death and which took the higher toll. Mr. Smith responded: &amp;quot;Initially, I believed that divorce was easier because there was always the hope of reconciliation, even if that hope was distant. &amp;quot; After having a psychologist weigh in on all the differing variables - age of the children, whether the relationship ended amicably (or the death was expected vs sudden and traumatic) - it seemed to all boil down to communication. To lessen the impact on the kids, you need to be sure you&amp;#039;re communicating every step of the way about the changes that are occurring and the impact on their lives. Neither scenario is ideal for kids, of course, but obviously, divorce is better than death as far as your kids are concerned - at least they still have two living parents, albeit living in different houses. When it comes to the spouse, however - that&amp;#039;s a bit tougher to decide. I have a very good friend who is recently widowed, and have had a lot of conversations about this topic. Which is harder? Losing someone you love forever? Or losing someone you love forever and still having to see them and interact with them? My friend&amp;#039;s loss is heartwrenching, he loved his spouse deeply and mourns her every day. I only loved the person I thought my spouse to be, but my loss was like a wound that was constantly being re-opened every time I saw him. It still feels that way some days, but with the passage of time, it&amp;#039;s certainly getting more manageable. I guess neither of us have it easy, but at least my children still have their father.  What are your thoughts? Which is harder - death or divorce? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/a47481/death-or-divorce/>