A, I'm sorry to hear of your situation. It sounds like you both have issues that need to be faced and dealt with. It sounds like you both may have lost your individual selves during the marriage and now he's searching for himself. This happens a lot in marriages...we tend to build our worlds around our spouses and forget that we are two separate individuals w/different needs at times. That's why it's difficult when one spouse walks and we are left behind. Our world is fractured because we are just as lost as they are. It is so important to keep the focus on you and your children during this time because you are going to have to find a way to survive, heal and live as a "separate" individual. It's a time of self discovery and to do the things that you've put off because you had no time to do them while he was at home. It's a time for you to think about what you want to do w/your life if he doesn't return.
You have some goals, i.e., teaching and traveling. This is good. I believe the time away with your daughter and grandchildren will be just what the doctor ordered. It will do you a world of good to have a change of scenery and not be thinking about what he's doing constantly. When you begin to think of your meeting on the 17th, pull out the trip information and focus on that. It may help to ease some of our anxiety.
A, it's a difficult road to travel, I kid you not, but you are going to make it. It's one day at a time.
Sit quietly, the answers will reveal themselves when you least expect them to. The past is gone, the present is a gift and you need to focus on today, allow the future to reveal itself when it is ready.
