“With the help of the pastor, the books, our own stubborn determination, better communication skills, and understanding each other better, we turned a good marriage into a great marriage.”
– Stacey Greene, Author of Stronger Than Broken – One Couple’s Decision to Move Through an Affair
Stacey Greene met her husband Jim at a restaurant back in the 1980s. They discovered they had grown up in the same neighborhood. Love blossomed, and within a year the duo moved in together. They married and became parents to three kids.
Three children under seven years took a toll on her body and the time they had for each other. The children became involved in music and sports, straining the couple’s time together. The distance between them grew to an extent that they started sleeping in separate rooms.
Discovering Her Husband’s Affair
Fights over free time and finances became common. One day, Stacey found out that Jim was having an affair with a 41-year-old single mother. The affair went on for about six months. When Stacey found out about the affair, she was heartbroken and angry. She shares, “Trying to hide my tears and keep up a happy face for our children was no easy task. Not being able to eat for days on end, wondering if my husband still loved me left some emotional scars, to be sure.”
Doing the Most Uncomfortable Thing
What’s the most uncomfortable thing Stacey did in her marriage? She answers, “The hardest thing I ever did was to forgive my husband for having an extramarital affair.” She says, “Many ladies would have kicked their husband out of the house. However, I knew that if God forgives my sins, then we are to forgive also.”
Getting Past the Affair
Stacey forgave her husband, and the couple decided to work hard to save their marriage. The process, however, was anything but easy. Stacey says, “It took almost a full year, a couple of trips to our pastor, a lot of relationship books and some serious soul searching before I could trust him again.”
The couple realized that the initial 25 years they had a “good” marriage, but now knowing each others’ needs much better, they now have a “great” marriage. Stacey says, “It’s exciting to see what the next 25 years will bring.”
Stacey Greene Became an Author
The craziest thing that came out of all this was Stacey becoming an author, writing a book about the affair and healing. Her goal is to inspire others.
