A main obstacle is how I have shut him down in the past whenever he has tried to talk to me about his feelings. I have been an incredibly bad listener in the past, often responding in a hurtful way, and it's going to take a while for my H to trust that my response will be different now.
I could type the same thing about myself. I still find myself cutting H (and others!) off. I am a horrible interupter.
Anyway, just wanted to say that I only know of you by what you have posted here, but you are doing very well. You let your H know that this is not what you want, but are being peaceful about it. You are leaving the door open to him, providing him a loving return if wanted. You are doing well. Enjoy the space for the moment and enjoy the holidays.
