They joked about forming a support group and placing an ad to attract members in situations similar to theirs. Randolph eventually did write an ad, and she placed it in the September 1979 issue of Washingtonian magazine. The ad generated 14 responses and nine attendees at the first meeting in October. New Beginnings was born. Randolph, who now trains others to facilitate New Beginnings meetings, says that ending a marriage can consume up to five years of a person's life.
Couples first endure the problems that prompt a separation.
Then, some states require that couples spend as much as a year in separation before filing for divorce. Once the divorce papers have been filed, resolving issues relating to the divorce can be time- consuming, too. It is devastating. Your entire future feels like you're looking into a black hole. When Randolph started New Beginnings, she had been separated one year and already was dating the man she'd marry six years later, Craig Durkin.