Hey CBK,

Have spent the last several days reading your whole thread and I actually agree with the people who say that her moving out is a good thing. I know you've been reading every relationship book out there, but I thought I'd add one to the queue: Getting Back Together by Bettie Youngs and Masa Goetz. I bought this one at the same time that I bought DB, and it kind of reshaped my views of separation to make me realize how helpful it can be in some relationships. Check it out; it may or may not help.

I remember when I first learned about the stages of grieving (before I had any firsthand experience with them). I thought of them as very linear: you have your sadness, anger, denial, etc., the order may differ but eventually you get to acceptance and you're done. It was SO FRUSTRATING to realize that grieving is more like a cycle. I remember getting to acceptance (for the third, or fourth, or fifth time) and instead of thinking "finally!" I thought "$h!t! Next comes sadness!" All I can tell you is that while you will continue to cycle through, the periods of peace get longer with time.

Keep your head up. I truly believe space is a good thing for your relationship right now.

My $0.02,
smdn