My Good Friend Matt

totally casual nothing to see here

I’ve been needing to write this article for a while now.

For one, if you’ve been following my stories lately, you’ve probably noticed some new faces—especially the teenagers who keep popping up—and your questions have been flooding in.

I get it. Many of you have been with me from the very beginning of this journey, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. You were here ten years ago when I started this blog as I was struggling with postpartum depression. You stayed through the birth of my second child, through breast cancer and a global pandemic. Then in the midst of an unexpected divorce, y’all stayed and held space for my grief—supporting me as I began the healing journey that brought me here today. Now you’re eager for updates on my happy life changes, and believe me, I love y’all so much for that. Your investment in my story makes me feel so seen and loved, and it’s one of the reasons I keep sharing my life this way.

The other reason I’ve been needing to write this article is because my book is coming out this summer. Now, that might sound a little disconnected from what we’re talking about, but I promise it’s not, so let me explain.

Y’all, this book has been in the works for over two years, and it’s been quite a rollercoaster. Let’s just say that when I pitched this project to my editor, divorce wasn’t part of the plotline. The end of my marriage left me in a strange place both personally and spiritually. That funk made it challenging to write, which significantly delayed the publication of my next book. For a long time, I didn’t know how to end the manuscript because I had no idea what my journey—or the next phase of healing—was going to look like.

It wasn’t until I met someone who completely redefined my understanding of love and healing that the words finally started flowing again.

I turned in that manuscript just a few weeks ago, and my editor sent me an email with some great feedback. But there was one small problem. Transitioning from a chapter on divorce to one about falling in love with someone new who drastically changed my worldview—well, that plot development didn’t quite translate in the space of a couple of pages. It left the reader feeling confused, which I understood completely.

So we made an editorial decision, which I still laugh about every time I see it. When you get my book in August of 2025, you’ll be meeting “my good friend Matt.”

besties!!!!

The truth is, most of y’all have met him already. His presence has shaped the joy, hope, and healing that have been such a part of my recent writing. His fingerprints are all over my recent articles and have been since we started dating.

Side note: Dating isn’t something I have written about much, but at some point, I really need to because, my goodness, y’all… Putting yourself out there post-divorce as a single mom? It is a wild ride.

To be honest, I was incredibly unprepared for this whole dating thing. I mean, I did my due diligence—I googled some articles. But what I found were nothing but warnings: Dating after divorce is impossible. Dating someone with children is worse. You’ll never be the priority. It’ll be a disaster. Basically, I walked away from my research thinking, Well, this sounds like a terrible idea.

But none of those articles prepared me for the beautiful reality of this love. I mean, sure, dating after divorce is strange…but it can also be deeply healing. It’s powerful encountering a healthy love when you’ve never experienced it before. And dating someone with children? That, it turns out, is a gift. It gives you the chance to see your partner as a parent—to witness their loyalty, selflessness, and consistency in ways that can’t be faked.

And nowhere in any of those articles did they mention the coolest part of it all: that when you fall in love with someone who has children, you’re not just falling in love with one person. You’re stepping into a world they’ve built. And if you love them, it’s only natural that you’ll come to love the people who mean the most to them.

All of this to say, I didn’t just fall in love with a man.

I fell for a whoooole entire family.

So consider this your official introduction to some of the people who most hold my heart: Cole, Caroline, Cate, and Cooper.

(And their father, my good friend Matt.)

This crew has a story that will blow your mind, and believe me I don’t say that lightly. And as you get to know their story over time, I know that you’ll fall for them, too. You’ll come to love and admire them as much as I do.

I mean, if that’s even possible.

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Dear friends,

As I hope this post has made clear, it means everything to me that you’re here. Writing is not only my work—it’s my way of connecting with you, and I’m deeply grateful for that. I’ll always keep my words open and accessible because encouragement should never come with a price tag.

For those of you who choose to support this work financially, thank you for keeping the lights on.

With love and gratitude,

Mary Katherine