During audiences at the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI called divorce and abortion "grave sins" and warned that a "culture of death" may even put the lives of the elderly at risk.

The pope says divorce and abortion harm the dignity of human life, cause suffering to those involved and hurt innocent victims, such as the unborn child or the children of a divorced couple.

He told participants in a Catholic congress that "The ethical judgement of the Church on divorce and abortion is clear and well-known, they are serious offences... which violate human dignity, inflict deep injustice on human and social relations and offend God himself, guarantor of conjugal peace and origin of life."

However, he did add that there were those that have committed such "errors" and have "suffered" from wounds of the soul and sought peace.

"Divorce and abortion are choices....which sometimes develop in difficult and dramatic circumstances... and are a source of profound suffering for those who take such decisions."

He then called on the Catholic church to be merciful to those that have experienced such events.

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Looking for a good, cathartic read? Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert might be just it. Gilbert's memoir chronicling her year abroad following a painful divorce has become a huge success with more than 1 million copies in print and published in 30 languages.

This is not a huge surprise to us at First Wives World. With all of the divorced men and women out there, why wouldn't this book be a success?

Eat, Pray, Love details Gilbert's journey from a divorce to an enlightened, if more spiritual, place. She spends four months eating in Italy, four months praying and meditating in India, and four months finding a balance in Indonesia.

Gilbert, who begins her first national book tour this Friday in Arizona, says that her book tends to speak to all people, and said, "Even if you're not into the spiritual journey, you can enjoy the pizza."

She says that after her divorce, she desperately need to do what she did in order to "grow up" and get her life "back together."

Sounds like a great idea to me. But according to Gilbert, there are those have disagreed and told her that a year long vacation was nothing but a "selfish escape" from her "romantic failures." What do you think?

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It seems like everybody has got a piece of advice for Silda Spitzer, but I found the advice given by New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams to be shocking.

In an article titled "Stay With Shpritzer, Smart Lady," Cindy Adams said (among other things):

"I want to tell her — so what. She may not longer be New York's first lady, but a husband hooking up with a hooker is not reason enough to no longer be a married lady."

and

"Sex, a primal need, outpoints fear, hunger and love as mankind's No. 1 driving force. Unless you're a pig or a monk, many an able-bodied — and I use that term deliberately — 48-year-old husband of 21 years has grazed. I'm not advocating it. I'm merely saying, so what? It's like takeout food. Less work for mother."

and then added

"Paying a pro isn't disrespect to his wife."

Whoa. I completely disagree. I think that "a husband hooking up with a hooker" is not only enough of a reason, but a fabulous reason to no longer be a married lady. In my book, and I think that a lot of women will agree with me here, it's grounds for instant divorce, no discussions.

And what's with the "so what" attitude? This is a big deal. Infidelity is heartbreaking. I can't believe she is making it seem so trivial. Then comparing hiring a hooker to takeout food?! You know, a lot of married women enjoy having sex. I did. In fact, I don't think I know any who don't. Besides, has anyone here ever spent $80,000 on takeout food?

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The rate of divorce among those in the armed forces held steady last year at 3.3 percent, which is leaving some wondering whether the figure — which was reported by the Pentagon — is an accurate one.

Consider for a moment the amount of stress that having a spouse in the military, on active duty, can put on a marriage, especially if there are children involved, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if at least half of them divorced. So, why aren't they?

One Army spokesman, Paul Boyce, credits the military's "strong programs ... and a sense of real teamwork among the families," for the fairly low divorce rate.

For example, the Marines have offered workshops to teach couples to manage conflict, solve problems, and communicate better, and the Navy started a similar program.

The Army has started paying for what it calls its "Family Covenant," a broad initiative of services and facilities to improve the quality of life for military families nationwide and overseas. It includes improving health care, schools, housing, and child care to relieve stress on spouses.

Army chaplains have trained some 60,000 active duty and reservists in the "Strong Bonds" program for strengthening personal relationships. Troops also get mental-health training in a program called "Battlemind" that teaches about common problems to expect at home as troops readjust to domestic life.

Still, the numbers tracked do not speak of marriages that are in trouble or falling apart, just those that have ended. In 2006 troops were given a mental health survey, 20 percent of those questioned said that they or their spouse were planning a divorce, compared with 15 percent in 2005.

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"Me & You, Us Forever," is an indie film about a love story that was 30 years in the making. It's the story of Dave, a 47-year-old Christian man, who's on the unwanted end of a divorce.

The movie follows Dave through the process of his painful divorce and his dive back into the dating scene. Unsure of how to get back out there, he finds himself longing to see his first love, Mary, who he hasn't seen in 30 years.

Against the advice of his co-workers and much to the chagrin of his potential girlfriend Carla, who he met at a Christian Divorce Recovery Group, Dave goes see Mary who's now married with children and living in New York. Dave and Mary fell in love as high school sweethearts and he's always wondered what happened to her.

The film is set in 2004 and flashes back to 1974. The viewer sees the relationship through Dave's eyes and how things ended with Mary.

I think anytime that we've had love and lost it — through any circumstances — it always creates a potential for us to go back and examine all of our past relationships, as well as the current one. Although I haven't seen it, I think this movie appears to offer an excellent portrayal of process in which we re-examine previous relationships, perhaps measuring them against our current one.

To read more about "Me & You, Us, Forever," you can visit the film's Website. You can view the trailer here. The film's writer, director and producer, Dave Christiano sums it up beautifully by saying "I believe we have a strong message and one that will help people. Everyone knows someone that's divorced, so I think this film will touch a lot of people."

I was having a perfectly lovely morning — coffee and breakfast in bed — when my boyfriend turns to me and says, "We have to talk about something". Uh oh, I thought.

Turns out he was just toying with me and wanted to talk about work stuff, but it still left me reeling. When he said those words I panicked and the fact that my reaction to it was "No" and a feeling like I wanted to bury my head in the sand, got me thinking.

Many marriages dissolve due to a lack of communication, and additionally, many divorces turn into even bigger nightmares than they have to be due to the same problem.

I did some research on the subject, and my conclusion? Most people hate the words "we have to talk" and most people avoid difficult conversations. Why? Well, because they're difficult and uncomfortable and who wants to do that?

But, there are ways to have reasonable, effective conversations about difficult and/or uncomfortable subjects. I found an article on Mediate.com offering a step-by-step checklist for difficult conversations. It offers tips on how to prepare yourself, suggestions on a successful outcome and ideas on how to open the conversation.

I know from my own personal experience that putting off a "talk" can be equally, if not more stressful than having it, and that once I finally do have it, I usually feel much better. So, if you're currently putting off a difficult conversation, or if you're engaged in an argument that doesn't seem to come to a resolution, I recommend you give this a read.