True Story

Can you imagine being in a custody dispute with the other parent of your child(ren)? And worse, being broke and on the other side of the country?

I can't. It's just unfathomable.

My parents had one of those old-fashioned divorces, where he paid child support and alimony, and saw his kids a couple of times a year. My mother had custody, period, end of story. My father had another life, another wife. Custody just wasn't an issue, and he never tried to shirk his responsibility to pay what he owed.

In a way, I know we were lucky. Jennifer Schmitt is not so lucky; she's living a nightmare.

You may know Jennifer from her blog A Road with a View, or her old blog Thursday Drive. You may know her work - for example, she designed Emily Rosenbaum's website. Or maybe you saw her on Schmutzie's Five Star Friday.

In August, Jennifer's children's father took their two children from Maryland to Arizona for what was supposed to be a two week visit. He never brought the children back. It is the first time these children, ages 12 and 10, have ever been separated from their mother. And she found out - on the day they were expected back home - via a text message that he had already enrolled them in school.

Before August, he hadn’t seen them for over a year - by choice.

Jennifer and her children are now separated by over 2300 miles and she needs our help — now. She's is stranded in Maryland without steady financial support or income. She needs to move to Arizona and hire an attorney to help her enforce the previously agreed upon court decree that outlines the conditions on custody of the children and financial support.

Please, if you have any money to spare, help reunite Jennifer with her children. If you go to Go Fund Me, you can read the whole story and see where she needs to use the money, and contribute right there.

For Jennifer, I thank you.