Thanks for that. I really do appreciate your kindness and understanding.
I will tell you this, I learned the following lessons through my very bad choices:
1. It is very possible to cheat and love your spouse at the same time. 2. It is very possible to cheat and NOT love the OP whatsoever. 3. When you feel badly about yourself, it is lots easier to get validation from outside instead of working on yourself.
That may sound very simple, but it was quite the revelation to me. I share it with you now because I would have never believed the first two if I hadn't experienced them first-hand.
The family gathering will be wonderful. And not in a "see? we can be grown-up and polite to each other" kind of way. More like: "Wow, this is the relationship we could have had all those years??? Lets get to it!" kind of a way.
