I’m forever grateful to the woman who saved my marriage - I think we all need a mentor

Writer Nicole Watt was considering throwing in the towel on her marriage until she met her mentor Phyllis.

Phyllis glided into my church community centre one sunny morning. She was dressed in a vibrant array of reds and her short, gray hair was tinted purple. She’d brought cake to go with the coffee we served. She handed it out with a kindness and humour that put everyone at ease. Though we only said “hello” to each other that day, she would become a miracle in my life. I call her Naomi after the mother-in-law in the Bible who steadfastly guided her daughter-in-law Ruth through loss and poverty to re-marriage. 

My husband and I were separated. He worked long hours while I looked after our children.  Feeling powerless to get him to understand how I was feeling or what I needed, and not yet seeing my part in the demise of our marriage, I was considering divorce when Phyllis invited me for breakfast. She told me her tale of a fifty-year marriage and listened intently to mine, carefully considering everything I shared.