the end of another story


July 23, 2026

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"If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation."

—Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Witness to Another Ending

As I write this, I can look across the room at someone I love who is dying. Hospice has done what hospice does: made her comfortable, so that her passing can be as peaceful as possible.

I've been witness to a number of deaths. Strangers. Friends. My parents. A daughter. Each one left its mark, and as I've gotten older, those marks feel less like things that happened to other people and more like something coming for me. They remind me that the story I've been telling with my life will have a final chapter, and that my chances to shape it are getting fewer.

So what story will we leave? Does it matter what people remember? Or should we just eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die?

So many of the people I've worked with are convinced their story is already written, that the affair was the chapter that defined the whole book, and everything after it is just epilogue. I understand why it feels that way. But no book is remembered for its worst chapter. It's remembered for where it ends up.

However much of your story has already been told, the next chapter is still unwritten. Mine is too. Today I'm asking myself what I want to put in it.

When Your Devices Spill the Tea

Your smart device was always keeping track; it just never occurred to you that it was keeping track of everything.

Podcast: Sexual Shame

Jocelyn Silva joins me to explore how sexual shame breeds secrecy and drives infidelity and why relentless authenticity and integrity are the true foundation for intimacy and healing.

Tell me about your sexual struggles.

I'm looking for real-life comments from people who have lived any of the following experiences. Tell me your story by leaving a voicemail at 317-324-8843 (a message-only number; you can remain anonymous if you want) or sending me an email. I may use them in an upcoming podcast episode.

  • You experienced the kind of sexual shame we talked about in the last podcast.
  • You have struggled with finding pleasure in sex, whether it's been a lifelong issue or since certain life experiences.
  • You once enjoyed sexual intimacy but no longer feel sexually connected to your spouse, whether due to infidelity or other relationship issues.

What Else Is New...

  • Podcast: When Betrayal Begins Before an Affair
    I revisit my article on betrayal before the affair, then talk with a client whose experience offers a different side of the story.
  • Podcast: Unshakeable: Strong Lessons from Hard Experiences
    Suzanne Leydecker reflects on the end of her marriage, the personal patterns she had to unlearn afterward, and how much responsibility a betrayed partner should take.
  • Post: The Notification Divorce
    Sometimes the attention to online distractions reveals the growing disconnection in a relationship.
  • Video: Afraid of Intimacy?
    Is "fear of intimacy" really cowardice, or is it the rational armor of someone who has learned exactly what heartbreak costs?

275 Medical Dr #3622, Carmel, IN 46082
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Affair Healing

A weekly newsletter offering affair recovery help through articles, podcasts, downloads, and recommended resources. Presented by Tim Tedder, an affair recovery counselor for over 20 years.

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