Hey JJ! Good to hear from you.

Yes, I've been meaning to come back to see how some folks are doing. Life has been treating me well. I certainly have no room to complain (although work kind of bites right now ). But alas, that's not what's most important.

My M has never been stronger. Over the last couple of years, my W has really done some soul-searching and has become the loving individual I've always wanted as a partner. Don't get me wrong, she was loving before, but now she has really "softened." I've mentioned this in previous posts. It has been difficult for her, as she has been digging through lots of her junk, but she has truly come to the party...although this was truly a gradual process over about 12-18 months. ...And she continues to dig...

I'm perpetually reminded how magnificent the Universe is in showing us "the way" or showing us how one event is tied to another, which is tied to another, and so on (kind of like Michele's "Butterfly Effect" scenario). I have seen this time and time again...especially now that I try and pay more attention to it.

I have come to realize that our Ses are distracting themselves from their inner turmoil, their pain, fighting the internal demons that are clamoring to get out. They can fight and they can fight, but the more they resist, the more out of control things can become. The Universe consistently provides them opportunities to examine these demons, but most just shove them down out of fear. Thus, they can take a long time to resolve, or maybe never resolve. This is their path...a lesson from the Universe...one that they are likely doomed to repeat if not addressed.

I have also seen Michele's "Butterfly Effect" theory in action on numerous occasions. Most notably:
- Sharing her DR book with a friend helped to save his M.
- Through the examples my W and I are setting w/each other in having a loving R, my W's folks have seen this and have started to mend their R, which has been in trouble for a few years now.

Thus, my changes beget my W's changes, which beget my in-laws' changes, and so on. Heck, even my kids communicate better than they used to!

Amazing...

jethro