Excellent post, 2step! Very reminiscent of what Viktor Frankl puts down in "Man's Search For Meaning." It sounds like you have found much meaning in your suffering and will ultimately be a better man for it.

Us: mid-20s
T: 5.5 yrs
M: 2 yrs
S + OM: 6/21/11
Legally S'd: 9/9/11

In this life, you have a limited amount of mental currency. You get what you pay for, so spend it wisely.

So it goes. --Kurt Vonnegut